ABSTRACT
If there is a consensus on the value of Mill's political writings, it is that we may turn to them for the sort of moral uplift that sustains the liberal hope, but we shall be disappointed if we expect to find in them much enlightenment about the urgent issues we face today. There are some, claiming access to new and greater truths, who do not hesitate to announce the obsolescence of that impassioned and reasonable liberalism which is the inspiration of all Mill's political writings. There are many others who will express their confidence that most of the causes for which Mill fought have now been safely won, and who accordingly deny to Mill's writing that contemporary relevance they undoubtedly possessed for their original readers. Most significantly, perhaps, there is a widespread impression in progressive circles that Mill's tentative and humane liberalism has little to say to the perplexed citizens of societies whose manifold crises demand bold and drastic measures. Whether the news is greeted with regret, complacency or acclamation, there are not many who doubt the accuracy of the report that Mill's liberalism is as dead as any tradition of political thought can be. 1
