![]() ![]() Mill’s Synthesis of Rights and Utility Theories: Expressive Individualism On Liberty goes beyond a defence of the harm principle: it also synthesizes the ideas of liberal rights, utilitarianism and romanticism into a single theory in defence of a form of expressive individualism. Mill’s arguments for liberal socialism are particularly relevant today and deserve a wider audience. But on others, such as the need to extend feminist anaylsis to the private sphere, he was a pioneer (though, as he acknowledged, he was deeply indebted for insights on this topic to his wife, Harriet Taylor). On some topics, such as British colonialism in India, his views have aged poorly and warrant serious condemnation. He expressed opinions on a range of topics, including colonialism, women’s suffrage and economic arrangements. His other works are unfortunately less widely known. It is held in especially high regard these days: an inspiration for critics of cancel culture and postmodern Trumpism alike. His seminal essay On Liberty is one of the most philosophically rich defences of basic liberal freedoms ever written. John Stuart Mill is rightly considered one of the greatest liberal thinkers. In those days, I was a democrat, but not the least … a socialist…, our ideal of ultimate improvement went far beyond democracy, and … would class us decidedly under the general designation of socialists.-J. ![]()
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