Major Works

• Principles of Political Economy (1848)

  - Mill, J.S., Principles of Political Economy, in Robson ed., The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill,  Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1963-.
  Excerpt: It appears to the present writer, that a work similar in its object and general conception to that of Adam Smith, but adapted to the more extended knowledge and improved ideas of the present age, is the kind of contribution which Political Economy at… More

• On Liberty (1859)

  - Mill, J. S. On Liberty. In The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill, edited by John M. Robson. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1963–.
  Excerpt: The subject of this Essay is not the so-called Liberty of the Will, so unfortunately opposed to the misnamed doctrine of Philosophical Necessity; but Civil, or Social Liberty: the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by… More

• Considerations on Representative Government (1861)

  - Mill, J. S. Considerations on Representative Government. In The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill, edited by John M. Robson. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1963–.
  Excerpt: It seems to me, however, from various indications, and from none more than the recent debates on Reform of Parliament, that both Conservatives and Liberals (if I may continue to call them what they still call themselves) have lost confidence in the… More

• The Subjection of Women (1869)

  - ill, J. S. The Subjection of Women. In The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill, edited by John M. Robson. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1963–.
  Excerpt: The object of this essay is to explain as clearly as I am able, the grounds of an opinion which I have held from the very earliest period when I had formed any opinions at all on social or political matters, and which, instead of being weakened or… More

Commentary

• Ethical Studies

  - Bradley, Francis Herbert. Ethical Studies. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1876.
  F.H. Bradley presents his criticism to the utilitarianism of Mill and Sidgwick. Bradley argues for a Hegelian position that emphasizes the importance of social relations.

• John Stuart Mill: A Criticism with Personal Recollections

  - Bain, A. John Stuart Mill: A Criticism with Personal Recollections. London: Longmans, 1882.
  Excerpt: In the present work, I do not propose to give the complete biography of John Stuart Mill. My chief object is to examine fully his writings and character; in doing which, I have drawn freely upon my personal recollections of the second half of his… More

• The Philosophical Theory of the State

  - Bosanquet, Bernard. Philosophical Theory of the State. London: Macmillan, 1889.
  Excerpt: “The same point may be further insisted on by examining the main ideas of Mill’s “Liberty,” without by any means professing to give a full account of Mill’s opinions on the relation of individuals to society. What indeed is… More

• The Growth of Philosophic Radicalism

  - Halevy, Elie. The Growth of Philosophic Radicalism. Trans. M. Morris, with preface by A. D. Lindsay, London: Faber and Faber, 1934.
  This is still one of the best discussions of the 19th century Utilitarian movement in England, covering the rise of the Benthamites and the conflict between the growing economic philosophy and older philosophies that emphasized human and social values. Halevy… More

• The English Utilitarians

  - Plamenatz, John. The English Utilitarians. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1949.
  John Plamenatz provides a classic study of the English doctrine of utilitarianism. Chapters are devoted to important figures in the movement such as Hume, Bentham, James Mill, and John Stuart Mill. The treatment addresses the philosophical and psychological… More

• “John Stuart Mill” by Henry Magid

  - Magid, Henry M. “John Stuart Mill.” In History of Political Philosophy, edited by Leo Strauss and Joseph Cropsey, 679–696. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963.
  A one-essay, comprehensive overview of Mill’s political philosophy, discussing his method, moral philosophy, philosophy of history, theories of social progress, and writings on representative government. Sections include: I. Method in Political… More

• The Improvement of Mankind

  - Robson, John M. The Improvement of Mankind. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1968.
  John M. Robson, compiler of the Collected Works of John Stuart Mill, provides an account of the unity underlying the writings of John Stuart Mill. The work shows the continuities and differences between Mill and his predecessors, the Philosophical Radicals.

• John Stuart Mill and Representative Government

  - Thompson, Dennis. John Stuart Mill and Representative Government. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1976.
  Although Mill regarded Considerations on Representative Government as a mature statement of his theory of democracy, critics have tended to treat it less seriously than most of his other major works. Dennis Thompson argues that this neglect has led to… More

• Women in Western Political Philosophy

  - Okin, Susan. Women in Western Political Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1979.
  From the publisher: In this pathbreaking study of the works of Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, and Mill, Susan Moller Okin turns to the tradition of political philosophy that pervades Western culture and its institutions to understand why the gap between formal… More

• Mill versus Paternalism

  - Arneson, Richard J. “Mill versus Paternalism.” In Ethics 90 (1980): 470-89.
  Excerpt: Recent discussions of paternalism have tended toward brusque dismissal of J. S. Mill’s classic opinion on the topic. Still more recent discussions have tended toward carefully considered rejection or hedging of Mill’s “one very… More

• Democracy and Liberty in Mill’s Theory of Government

  - Arneson, Richard J. “Democracy and Liberty in Mill's Theory of Government.” In Journal of the History of Philosophy, 20 (1982): 43-64.
  Excerpt: John Stuart Mill’s theory of government is of a piece with the rest of his philosophy: intelligent, eclectic, carefully modulated, somewhat recalcitrant to systematization. Seizing on this last feature, critics of Mill allege that his… More

• The Morality of Freedom

  - Raz, Joseph. The Morality of Freedom. Oxford: University of Oxford Press, 1983.
  From the publisher: Ranging over central issues of morals and politics and the nature of freedom and authority, this study examines the role of value-neutrality, rights, equality, and the prevention of harm in the liberal tradition, and relates them to… More

• That Noble Science of Politics: A Study in Nineteenth-Century Intellectual History

  - Burrow, John, and Stefan Collini and Donald Winch.  That Noble Science of Politics: A Study in Nineteenth-Century Intellectual History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
  From the publisher: In this unusual and important work, three well-known historians of ideas examine the diverse forms taken in nineteenth-century Britain by the aspiration to develop what was then known as a ‘science of politics’. This aspiration… More

• Happiness, Justice and Freedom: The Moral and Political Philosophy of John Stuart Mill

  - Berger, Fred. Happiness, Justice and Freedom: The Moral and Political Philosophy of John Stuart Mill. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.
  The author argues that Mill’s writing are united by a more cohesive set of doctrines than has previously been recognized. He contends that this allows Mill to provide a powerful defence of utilitarianism and political liberalism.

• The Liberal Self: John Stuart Mill’s Moral and Political Philosophy

  - Donner, Wendy. The Liberal Self: John Stuart Mill's Moral and Political Philosophy. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1991.
  From the publisher: Wendy Donner contends here that recent commentators on John Stuart Mill’s thought have focused on his notions of right and obligation and have not paid as much attention to his notion of the good. Mill, she maintains, rejects the… More

• Science and British Liberalism: Locke, Bentham, Mill and Popper

  - Jacobs, Struan. Science and British Liberalism: Locke, Bentham, Mill and Popper. Avebury: Aldershot, 1991.
  From the publisher: British liberal philosophy is widely regarded as a tradition that has been shaped by science and philosophy of science. Through detailed study of writings by Locke, Bentham, Mill, and Popper on epistemology, politics and related subjects,… More

• Aristocratic Liberalism: The Social and Political Thought of Jacob Burckhardt, John Stuart Mill, and Alexis de Tocqueville

  - Kahan, Alan S. Aristocratic Liberalism: The Social and Political Thought of Jacob Burkhardt, John Stuart Mill, and Alexis de Toqueville. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992.
  “Liberalism” is widely used to describe a variety of social and political ideas, but has been an especially difficult concept for historians and political scientists to define. Burckhardt, Mill, and Tocqueville define one type of liberal thought.… More

• Mill’s On Liberty: Critical Essays

  - Dworkin, Gerald, ed. Mill's On Liberty: Critical Essays. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 1997.
  A collection of critical essays on the topic of Mill’s seminal essay, edited by Gerald Dworkin. Essays include: “Mill and Milquetoast,” by David Lewis “John Stuart Mill and the Harm of Pornography,” by David Dyzenhaus “Mill… More

• The Cambridge Companion to John Stuart Mill

  - Skorupski, John, ed. The Cambridge Companion to John Stuart Mill. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
  From the publisher: “John Stuart Mill was one of the greatest thinkers of the nineteenth century. His impact on modern culture and thought has been immense, and his continuing importance for contemporary philosophy and social thought is widely… More

• Mill on Democracy: From the Athenian Polis to Representative Government

  - Urbinati, Nadia. Mill On Democracy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.
  From the publisher: Despite John Stuart Mill’s widely respected contributions to philosophy and political economy, his work on political philosophy has received a much more mixed response. Some critics have even charged that Mill’s liberalism was… More

• John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

  - Smith, G. W., “John Stuart Mill, On Liberty.” In J. J. E. Gracia, G. M. Reichberg, and B. M. Schumacher, eds., The Classics of Western Philosophy: A Reader's Guide, Oxford: Blackwell, 2003, pp. 395-404.
  The Classics of Western Philosophy brings together 61 essays on classic texts ranging from Ancient Greece to the twentieth century. Surveying the history of philosophy, the book focuses on historical texts rather than historical figures and covers the entire… More

• Why Read Mill Today? by John Skorupski

  - Skorupski, John. Why Read Mill Today? London: Routledge, 2006.  
  From the publisher: “John Stuart Mill is one of the greatest thinkers of the nineteenth century. But does he have anything to teach us today? His deep concern for freedom of the individual is thought by some to be outdated and inadequate to the cultural… More

• Starting with Mill by John Fitzpatrck

  - Fitzpatrick, John R. Starting with Mill. London: Continuum, 2010.
  This book is a general, introductory overview of Mill’s thought for beginning students of his work. From the publisher: Covering all the key concepts of Mill’s work, Starting with Mill provides an accessible introduction to the ideas of this… More

Multimedia

• The Subjection of Women

  - Mill, J.S., On The Subjection of Women, LibriVox audiobook, 2008.
  LibriVox recording of The Subjection of Women, by John Stuart Mill.

• The Neoclassical Synthesis of Rights and Utility

  - Shapiro, Ian. "The Neoclassical Synthesis of Rights and Utility," lecture delivered at Yale University, Spring, 2010.
  Lecture 7 in Yale Open Courses PLSC 118: The Moral Foundations of Politics Overview from website: John Stuart Mill’s synthesis rights and utility follows naturally in the vein of neoclassical utilitarianism, and it attempts to compensate for many of the… More

• The Islamic Politics of John Stuart Mill

  - Booth, Marilyn, "The Islamic Politics of John Stuart Mill," lecture delivered at the University of Edinburgh, 19 January, 2012.
  Professor Marilyn Booth presents her inaugural lecture entitled “The Islamic Politics of John Stuart Mill: Street literature, translation and gender activism in Egypt, circa 2002.” Excerpt: “The discourse on Islamic practices as a basis for… More

• On Representative Government

  - Mill, J.S., On Representative Government, LibriVox audiobook, 2013.
  LibriVox audiobook of J.S. Mill’s On Representative Government.