On Liberty and Utilitarianism

图书标准信息

• 作者 John Stuart Mill（约翰·斯图尔特·米尔） 著
• 出版社 Random House
• 出版时间 1993-01
• 版次 1
• ISBN 9780553214147
• 定价 27.70元
• 装帧 平装
• 开本 其他
• 纸张 其他
• 页数 272页
• 正文语种 英语
• 丛书 Bantam Classics

【内容简介】

Togetherthesetwoessaysmarkthephilosophiccornerstoneofdemocraticmoralityandrepresentathought-provokingsearchforthetruebalancebetweentherightsoftheindividualandthepowerofthestate.ThoroughlyschooledintheprinciplesoftheutilitarianmovementfoundedbyJeremyBentham,JohnStuartMillneverthelessbringshisownuniqueintellectualenergytoissuessuchasindividualfreedom,equality,authority,happiness,justice,andvirtue.

OnLibertyisMill'sfamousexaminationofthenatureofindividualityanditscrucialroleinanysocialsystemthatexpectstoremaincreativeandvital.Utilitarianismbrilliantlyexpoundsapragmaticethicbasedononecontroversialproposition:actionsarerightonlyiftheypromotethecommongoodandwrongiftheydonot.WhilemuchofMill'sthinkingwaseventuallyadoptedbysocialists,itisintoday'sdemocraticsocieties—withtheirtroublingissuesofcrime,freedomofspeech,andtheboundariesofpersonalliberty—thathisworkresoundsmostpowerfully.

【作者简介】

JohnStuartMillwasachildofradicalism,bornin1806intoararefiedrealmofphilosophicdiscourse.Hisfather,whowithJeremyBenthamwasafoundingmemberoftheutilitarianmovement,wasresponsibleforhisson'seducationandsawtoitthathewastrainedintheclassicsatanextraordinarilyearlyage.In1823MillgaveupacareerinlawtobecomeaclerkattheEastIndiaCompany,wherehisfatherworked.Likehisfather,herosetothepositionofchiefexaminer,whichhehelduntilheretiredfromthecompanyin1858.

Whilestillinhisteens,MillbeganpublishingarticlesandessaysinvariouspublicationsandbecameaneditoroftheLondonandWestminsterReview,in1835.In1843hepublishedSystemofLogic,followedbyPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomyin1848.OtherimportantworksincludeOnLiberty(1859),Utilitarianism(1863),TheSubjectionofWomen(written1861,published1869),andAutobiography(publishedposthumouslyin1873).

MillmarriedHarrietHardyTaylorin1851,andherinfluenceonhisthinkingandwritinghasbeenwidelycited.ThecoupleworkedtogetheronOnLiberty,andtheessayisdedicatedtohermemory–shediedin1858.AfterservingasamemberofParliamentfrom1865,to1868,MillretiredtoFranceanddiedatAvignonin1873.

IttookscholarsseveraldecadesbeforetheyfullyexaminedJohnStuartMill'suniqueandsystematiccontributionstoethicalandlogicaltraditions.Fortoday'sstudentsofeconomics,philosophy,andpoliticsheremainsavibrantandpreeminentfigure.