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On Liberty & Utilitarianism - British Heritage Database Reader-Printable Editions

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On Liberty (1859) and Utilitarianism (1861) are the two most enduring works of the great British economist, philosopher and ethical theorist John Stuart Mill. In the former he not only built a powerful case for freedom of speech, but also argued that “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.” In Utilitarianism he developed Bentham’s Greatest Happiness Principle into a more sophisticated ethical system, famously acknowledging “Better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.” For Mill, “To do as one would be done by, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, constitute the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality.” It is a far cry from the utilitarianism parodied in Dickens’ novel Hard Times.

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Publisher: Cultural Resources

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  • ISBN: 1903807786
  • Release date: March 8, 2004

PDF ebook

  • ISBN: 1903807786
  • File size: 1499 KB
  • Release date: March 8, 2004

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English

On Liberty (1859) and Utilitarianism (1861) are the two most enduring works of the great British economist, philosopher and ethical theorist John Stuart Mill. In the former he not only built a powerful case for freedom of speech, but also argued that “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.” In Utilitarianism he developed Bentham’s Greatest Happiness Principle into a more sophisticated ethical system, famously acknowledging “Better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.” For Mill, “To do as one would be done by, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, constitute the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality.” It is a far cry from the utilitarianism parodied in Dickens’ novel Hard Times.

Expand title description text