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The absolutism problem in On Liberty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Piers Norris Turner
Piers Norris Turner*
Affiliation:
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
*
*Email: turner.894@osu.edu
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Abstract

Mill argues that, apart from the principle of utility, his utilitarianism is incompatible with absolutes. Yet in On Liberty he introduces an exceptionless anti-paternalism principle—his liberty principle. In this paper I address ‘the absolutism problem, ’ that is, whether Mill's utilitarianism can accommodate an exceptionless principle. Mill's absolute claim is not a mere bit of rhetoric. But the four main solutions to the absolutism problem are also not supported by the relevant texts. I defend a fifth solution—the competence view—that turns on his attention to decision-making structures and, in particular, on the role of expertise considerations in his account.

Keywords

John Stuart MillUtilitarianismRule-UtilitarianismLiberty Principle
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Philosophy , Volume 43 , Issue 3 , 2013 , pp. 322 - 340
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2013

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