John Stuart Mill on Liberty and ControlPrinceton University Press, 2001 M06 18 - 264 pages John Stuart Mill is one of the hallowed figures of the liberal tradition, revered for his defense of liberal principles and expansive personal liberty. By examining Mill's arguments in On Liberty in light of his other writings, however, Joseph Hamburger reveals a Mill very different from the "saint of rationalism" so central to liberal thought. He shows that Mill, far from being an advocate of a maximum degree of liberty, was an advocate of liberty and control--indeed a degree of control ultimately incompatible with liberal ideals. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 43
... necessary to consider, along with the text of On Liberty, Mill's intentions in writing the essay, insofar as he revealed them; his other, mainly contemporary, writings, in which he addressed issues that also arise in the essay; and the ...
... necessary for wholesome individuals and a wholesome regime. The view that Mill was a spokesman for liberalism relies on half this outlook—the part that includes his Benthamism, his opposition to Christianity, and his belief that custom ...
... necessary and desirable even though they allowed for less than full and expansive liberty. As a consequence, far from being compatible with modern liberal thought, On Liberty should be regarded as being implicitly critical of it. My ...
... necessary to piece it together from many sources. This is partly because Mill's perspec- tive developed over time, but more because of rhetorical considerations.10 Thus his agenda was reflected in On Liberty but was not fully presented ...
... necessary that we at least examine the text of On Liberty, published in 1859, to determine if it reflects what the author intended when it was first planned. This is called for all the more by the inclusion in On Liberty of a passage ...