Downloads and Free Reading Options

Published in 1859, On Liberty details Mill's view that individuals should be left wholly free to engage in any activity, thought or belief that does not harm others. Simple though it sounds, it is a position that challenges our ideas on the very nature of government and society, and sheds light on some of the key issues we face today. A key text of political philosophy, On Liberty has been continuously in print since its first publication. (Summary by David Barnes)

John Stuart Mill's book <i>Utilitarianism</i> is one of the most influential and widely-read philosophical defenses of utilitarianism in ethics. The essay first appeared as a series of three articles published in <i>Fraser's Magazine</i> in 1861; the articles were collected and reprinted as a single book in 1863. It went through four editions during Mill's lifetime with minor additions and revisions.<br /><br /> Although Mill includes discussions of utilitarian ethical principles in other works such as <i>On Liberty</i> and <i>The Subjection of Women</i>, <i>Utilitarianism</i> contains Mill's only major discussion of the fundamental grounds for utilitarian ethical theory. (Summary from Wikipedia)

3Essays on Some Unsettled Questions of Political Economy

By John Stuart Mill

This is Mill’s first work on economics. It foreshadows his <I>Political Economy</I> which was the standard Anglo-American Economics textbook of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mill’s economic theory moved from free market capitalism, to government intervention within the precepts of Utilitarianism, and finally to Socialism. [Summary written by Gary Gilberd]

The Three Essays on Religion were written at different times during Mill's life, and only published after his death. The first two, 'Nature' and 'The Utility of Religion' date from the 1850s - the period between the publication of 'The Principles of Political Economy' and 'On Liberty'. The third longer essay, 'Theism' was written between 1868 and 1870. The three essays were published posthumously in 1874. (Summary by Justin Brett)

<em>The Subjection of Women</em> is the title of an essay written by John Stuart Mill in 1869, possibly jointly with his wife Harriet Taylor Mill, stating an argument in favor of equality between the sexes. It offers both detailed argumentation and passionate eloquence in opposition to the social and legal inequalities commonly imposed upon women by a patriarchal culture. Just as in "On Liberty," Mill defends the emancipation of women on utilitarian grounds, convinced that the moral and intellectual advancement of women would result in greater happiness for everybody. <br>(Summary from Wikipedia)</br>

6Autobiography

By John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873), British 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. He was a forceful proponent in the fight for government intervention in social reform. (Summary by Wikipedia)

7Considerations on Representative Government

By John Stuart Mill

Mill's volume was published in 1861 as an argument favoring this form of governance. Mill covers what forms of government work best, including when representative government is applicable and when not. He details appropriate functions of representative bodies and warns of problems to avoid. He distinguishes between true and false democracy. Other areas covered include how voting is carried out, the role of a second chamber in Parliament, and how an executive branch might function. (Summary by Bill Boerst)

8Auguste Comte and Positivism

By John Stuart Mill

Part 1 lays out the framework for Positivism as originated in France by Auguste Comte in his Cours de Philosophie Positive. Mill examines the tenets of Comte's movement and alerts us to defects. Part 2 concerns all Comte's writings except the Cours de Philosophie Positive. During Comte's later years he gave up reading newspapers and periodicals to keep his mind pure for higher study. He also became enamored of a certain woman who changed his view of life. Comte turned his philosophy into a religion, with morality the supreme guide. Mill finds that Comte learned to despise science and the intellect, instead substituting his frantic need for the regulation of change. (Summary by Bill Boerst)

9Principles of Political Economy

By J. Laurence Laughlin and John Stuart Mill

<i>The Principles of Political Economy</i>, first published in 1848, was one of the most important texts on the subject of economy at that time. It is broken up into five books; Production, Distribution, Exchange, Influence of the Progress of Society on Production and Influence of Government. This version is an abridged text book edited by J. Laurence Laughlin, and was used at the college level. (Summary by Ann Boulais)

10System of Logic

By John Stuart Mill

"In this work, he formulated the five principles of inductive reasoning that are known as Mill's Methods. This work is important in the philosophy of science, and more generally, insofar as it outlines the empirical principles Mill would use to justify his moral and political philosophies. An article in "Philosophy of Recent Times" has described this book as an "attempt to expound a psychological system of logic within empiricist principles.” This work was important to the history of science, being a strong influence on scientists such as Dirac.A System of Logic also had an impression on Gottlob Frege, who rebuked many of Mill's ideas about the philosophy of mathematics in his work The Foundations of Arithmetic. Mill revised the original work several times over the course of thirty years in response to critiques and commentary by Whewell, Bain, and others." (Summary by WikiPedia)

11On Liberty (Version 2)

By John Stuart Mill

On Liberty by John Stuart Mill is an essay about individual freedom and its limits. Mill argues that people should be free to think, speak, and act as they wish, as long as they don’t harm others. He believes this freedom leads to progress and happiness. Governments and society shouldn’t control people’s choices unless those choices hurt someone else. On Liberty is pertinent to contemporary debates about free speech, personal rights, and social control and so retains its relevance, perhaps more urgently than ever. Mill’s work is key to a proper understanding of the balance between freedom and responsibility, in a world where the exercise of power and the use of new technologies threaten liberty around the world. (Summary by Bryn Roberts)