In the third sentence of the first paragraph, the author mentions society’s ability to “execute its own mandates” primarily to

D) introduce the primary conflict he sees a need to resolve

Explanation:

The statement above is related to John Stuart Mill's rational justification of every individual's freedom in contrast to the state's claim to implement unlimited control. He warned people about the dangers brought by democracy. It can lead to a cruel and oppressive government rule over majority of the people. So, this gives the society the ability to "execute its own mandates." The author stated this in order to introduce this as the "primary conflict" that he sees as a need to be resolved in the society. He wanted the readers to know that this poses the danger of liberty, thus it is the primary or main conflict of the entire justification.

So, this explains the answer.

i am also pretty sure it is c