John Stuart Mill: A Utopian Liberal

Katrina Q. Wang, University of Wisconsin-Madison

John Stuart Mill, a renowned British political economist, is often mistakenly labeled as a socialist due to his personal views and judgments. However, Mill’s socialism differed significantly from the Marxist concept of class conflict. This article argues that Mill should be categorized as a “utopian liberal.” He integrated ideas from early utopian socialists into his liberal framework. Mill’s understanding of liberalism encompassed three key aspects: (a) the means of production and competition, (b) utilitarianism, wherein he viewed selfishness as central to class conflict and developed optimization principles for enhancing representative government, and (c) the adoption of order and partnership principles from utopian socialism, which he saw as essential to cooperation.

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 Presented in Session 63. Sociological Theory, History, and Identity