John Stuart Mill (Ethics (Ready Reference series))

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Maintaining that a science of society was feasible, Mill focused his philosophic writings on four major issues: the methodology of the social sciences, the principle of utility, individual freedom, and the structure of government. While Mill supported Jeremy Bentham’s corollary that moral problems could never be resolved through sentimental appeals to righteousness, he emphasized the importance of developing the spiritual aspects of humanity. Mill developed an “ethology” that consisted of the elements that were essential in the development of “character”—individual, societal, and national; he argued that secular society must define and expand its ethical base so that happiness—freedom from pain—may be attained. Unlike Bentham, Mill maintained that an educated elite was necessary to guide society; Mill agreed with Alexis De Tocqueville’s concern that democratic sentiments may lead to the “tyranny of the majority.” Mill’s fullest statement on ethics was advanced in Utilitarianism.

Bibliography

Berger, Fred R. Happiness, Justice, and Freedom: The Moral and Political Philosophy of John Stuart Mill. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984. A thorough evaluation of the moral and political contributions and implications of Mill’s utilitarianism.

Carlisle, Janice. John Stuart Mill and the Writing of Character. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1991. A study of Mill’s life and thought in relation to ideas of virtue and character.

Crisp, Roger, ed. Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Mill on Utilitarianism. New York: Routledge, 1997. Helpful articles clarify Mill’s understanding of utilitarian philosophy.

Donner, Wendy. The Liberal Self: John Stuart Mill’s Moral and Political Philosophy. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1991. A carefully developed interpretation of the basic themes and arguments in Mill’s political philosophy and ethics.

Dworkin, Gerald, ed. Mill’s “On Liberty”: Critical Essays. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1997. Noted Mill scholars address the perspectives, problems, and prospects contained in Mill’s famous study of liberty.

Lyons, David. Rights, Welfare, and Mill’s Moral Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. Interprets how Mill understood human rights and responsible public policy within the framework of his utilitarianism.

Mazlish, Bruce. James and John Stuart Mill: Father and Son in the Nineteenth Century. New York: Basic Books, 1975. A thorough discussion of the entangled personalities and ideas of the two Mills.

Riley, Jonathan. Liberal Utilitarianism: Social Choice Theory and John Stuart Mill’s Philosophy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988. A thoughtful discussion of Mill’s philosophy and its relationship to contemporary political and economic policy.

Skompski, John, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Mill. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Important essayists update the scholarship on Mill’s writings and the wide variety of themes that they contain.