Mill's liberalism and liberalism's posterity

Abstract

It is argued that the moral theory undergirding J.S. Mill’s argument in On Liberty is a species of perfectionism rather than any kind of utilitarianism. The conception of human flourishing that it invokes is one in which the goods of personal autonomy and individuality are central. If this conception is to be more than the expression of a particular cultural ideal it needs the support of an empirically plausible view of human nature and a defensible interpretation of history. Neither of these can be found in Mill. Six traditional criticisms of Mill’s argument are assessed.