ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book attempts to deal with John Stuart Mill's thought as a coherent system. It is not thought that Mill's writings are of a kind of eclecticism which defeats a systematic treatment. An attempt is made therefore to tie some elements of Mill's thought together. The traditional approach to Mill's social philosophy focuses mainly on the principle of utility itself and on its relationship with his ethical prescriptions. The criticism that Mill's rules of government intervention are inconsistent or ambiguous goes back to the time of the publication of On Liberty. The best known modern study arguing this point is that of Himmelfarb. Himmelfarb was of course not the first to notice the ambiguity. Dicey distinguished three currents of public opinion in the nineteenth century: Old Toryism, dominant between Benthamite Utilitarianism and Collectivism.
