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Overview
The Philosophy of John Stuart Mill demonstrates that Mill both saw his views as part of a systematic defense of empiricist epistemology and utilitarian ethics, and was to a large extent successful in offering a coherent and connected defense of this system. At the time Alan Ryan's highly acclaimed study was first published, it was unusual in insisting on the systematic character of Mill's philosophy. Since 1970, however, many writers have contributed to a more systematic understanding of Mill's program for philosophy, ethics and social science, and Alan Ryan's new preface to the second edition assesses the way Mill appears in this new climate of opinion.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"The time has come for a reassessment of Mill in the round, and this we have, admirably executed, in this book by Mr. Ryan."—J. O. Urmson, Philosophical Quarterly
"Ryan's emphasis upon Mill's consistency makes the total picture that emerges refreshingly suggestive and interesting ... he has accomplished admirably what he set out to do."
—John D. Lewis, American Political Science Review
"Alan Ryan aims in this book to show that Mill was far more genuinely a systematic philosopher than has often been supposed ... he seeks to demonstrate a consistency of purpose in Mill which has either been denied by his interpreters, or, very frequently, simply overlooked by those who have read different parts of his philosophy at different times, and never thought much about the connections between them. This is a very intelligent and absorbing book which is extremely well worth reading by anyone interested in Mill as a philosopher."
—Mary Warnock, New Society