On Liberty and Utilitarianism

By John Stuart Mill

These two essays by John Stuart Mill, England's greatest nineteenth-century philosopher, are the fruit of six hundred years of progressive thought about individual rights and the responsibilities of society. Together they provide the moral and theoretical justification for liberal democracy as we know it, and their incalculable influence on modern history testifies not only to the force of their arguments, but also to the power ideas can have over human affairs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 29, 2008
• ISBN: 9780553904994

John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill was an English philosopher, politician and economist most famous for his contributions to the theory of utilitarianism. The author of numerous influential political treatises, Mill’s writings on liberty, freedom of speech, democracy and economics have helped to form the foundation of modern liberal thought. His 1859 work, On Liberty, is particularly noteworthy for helping to address the nature and limits of the power of the state over the individual. Mills has become one of the most influential figures in nineteenth-century philosophy, and his writings are still widely studied and analyzed by scholars. Mills died in 1873 at the age of 66.

Reviews for On Liberty and Utilitarianism

[cestovatela · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It seems a little arrogant to be reviewing philosophy books, but here goes: Mill understands the promise and pitfalls of freedom better than almost any other writer I've read. His book articulates exactly why freedom and individuality are so valuable to a society and in what circumstances it can be justly curtailed. This is perhaps not something you'd sit down to read for fun, but I'm rateful that it was included in our high school debate curriculum. It served me well through out college and Mill's ideas still lurk in the back of my mind when I consider issues of individual freedom today.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hard to read documents like these without seeing how these sorts of ideas have been partially applied and how political philosophy has built upon these ideas. My opinions are of course informed by my own personal distaste for a lot of current day 'libertarians'.