Eleven leading scholars explore Mill's thoughts on morality, prudence or policy, aesthetics, utility, and the elements of a good life.

"That the art of life is creative, imaginative, and individual does not mean... that it cannot be taught and learned or that individuals cannot improve their mastery of it. Teaching it proceeds by way of exemplary lives, and learning it consists in coming to appreciate what makes some lives exemplary.... That imitation here is impossible does not mean one cannot learn from examples. The question is, How can that be done reasonably; how can decisions about how one should live escape being arbitrary, if they are left to individual creativity and imagination and are not governed by rules that apply to everyone living in a particular context?"—from The Art of LifeThe art of life, according to John Kekes, consists in living a life of personal and moral excellence. This art requires continuous creative effort, drawing on one's character, circumstances, experiences, and ideals. Since these conditions vary with times and places, Kekes says, there can be no single blueprint for the achievement of excellence. We must do it ourselves—but we can learn from those who have lived exemplary lives.Reflecting on lives of integrity and honor, Kekes formulates what we can learn from them and what we can do to adapt the ideals they represent to our personal circumstances. Avoiding both the abstractness that characterizes much moral thought and the relativism that recognizes no rational or moral limits, Kekes shows how serious philosophical thinking can be readable and helpful to those who struggle with the perennial problems of human existence.

This book offers a clear and highly readable introduction to the ethical and social-political philosophy of John Stuart Mill. Dale Miller provides a cogent and careful account of the main arguments offered by Mill, considers the critical responses to his work, and assesses its legacy for contemporary philosophy.

This edited collection highlights the inquisitive and synthetic aspects of John Stuart Mill's mode of philosophising while exploring various aspects of Mill's thought, intellectual development and influence. The contributors to this volume discuss a number of Mill's ideas including those on political participation, democracy, liberty and justice.

This book explores various connections of John Stuart Mill’s thought to ancient Greek philosophy primarily in relation to his conception of happiness. It argues that a better understanding of Mill’s background in ancient Greek thought and his reading(s) of Plato’s dialogues leads to innovative interpretations of his moral and political thought.

John Stuart Mill (1806–73) is widely regarded as the pre-eminent thinker of the liberal tradition; and yet because his views on international relations cannot be traced in any particular book or essay, his political thought remains largely misunderstood. Liberty Abroad is the first comprehensive, critical study which brings together all of John Stuart Mill's extensive contributions with particular attention to the historical contexts in which they were produced, as well as the political and philosophical preoccupations that prompted them, and how they were received among his contemporaries. A leading Mill scholar, Dr Georgios Varouxakis combines an extraordinary command of Mill's varied and extensive writings with a meticulous mastery of a range of Victorian controversies and thinkers to give a full, subtle evaluation of a major aspect of Mill's thought. This definitive study offers a major contribution to an area of increasing scholarly interest: the history of international political thought.

John Stuart Mill: Political Economist is a revised version of the part of Samuel Hollander's The Economics of John Stuart Mill (1985) treating the theory of economic policy. In this book, Professor Hollander offers a critical yet sympathetic analysis of Mill's quest to accomplish thorough reform of capitalism in the interest of distributive justice while protecting the security of property and contemplating the potential evolution of capitalism into cooperative organization. Part I of the book serves as an introduction to the investigation of Mill's theory of economic policy; Parts II and III include Mill's primary policy recommendations; while Part IV adds a substantial 'Overview and Evaluation' reviewing the author's main conclusions. A major concern is Mill's perception of the composition of the 'greatest number' whose interests are to be considered by policy-makers; here arises his attitude towards British Imperialism. The author then undertakes thematic comparisons between the positions of Mill and those of Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, Marx and Bernstein; and closes with a rejection of the celebrated criticism of Mill's 'liberalism' by Friedrich Hayek.

Commemorating the 250th anniversary of James Mill’s birth and the 150th of John Stuart Mill’s death, this volume analyses the Mills’ discussions on topics such as environment, cultivation, education, utilitarianism, socialism, international relations, international trade, and living standard. John Stuart Mill is an important figure of the classical political economy, and his father played a critical role in the early stages of his intellectual development. The contributions of the two Mills are examined by leading scholars on the theory and history of economics from Japan, UK, and France. They not only deal with the Mills’ individual contributions but also shed light on their relationships and associations with a number of economists and philosophers in Britain between the late 18th and the early 20th centuries, including Adam Smith, Malthus, Ricardo, Pennington, Torrens, Martineau, Longfield, Morris, Sidgwick, and Marshall. This book is an essential read for scholars interested in the economics of James and John Mill, and reconsideration of their theories and thoughts using the backdrop of the current state of society.

Though virtue ethics is enjoying a resurgence, the topic of virtue cultivation has been largely neglected by philosophers. This book features essays by philosophers, theologians, and psychologists at the forefront of research into virtue.--Publisher's description.