The Spirit of the Age/On Liberty/The Subjection of Women

by John Stuart Mill (Editor), Alan Ryan (Editor)

Alan Ryan's provocative introduction lays out the central issues debated by John Stuart Mill's many interpreters; in addition, it assesses Mill's historical significance and provides a brief account of his life. In recent years, scholars have increasingly focused on the connection between On Liberty and Mill's other writings. This Norton Critical Edition brings together three major essays that illustrate Mill's liberal political philosophy over the course of his life: "The Spirit of the Age" (1831), On Liberty (1859), and The Subjection of Women (1869). Related excerpts from John Stuart Mill's Autobiography (1873, published posthumously) are also included. Each text is accompanied by explanatory annotations. "Commentary" collects seven major assessments of Mill's writings. The contemporary perspectives of R. H. Hutton and James Fitzjames Stephen and the more recent analyses of Isaiah Berlin, Gertrude Himmelfarb, John C. Rees, Jeremy Waldron, and Susan Moller Okin provide readers with a critical overview of one of the most important of modern political philosophers. A Selected Bibliography and an Index are included.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Feminism

365 pages, Paperback

First published December 17, 1996

About the author

John Stuart Mill, English philosopher, political economist, civil servant and Member of Parliament, was an influential liberal thinker of the 19th century. He was an exponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by Jeremy Bentham, although his conception of it was very different from Bentham's.

Reviews

[Cherif Jazra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Summary of "On Liberty" here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g...