Although John Stuart Mill (1806 –1873) is remembered today for writing On Liberty and other works of social philosophy, for almost half a century he was best known for his leading treatise, Principles of Political Economy. A close reading of this influential work reveals that Mill’s political commitment was not to free-market liberalism, as most scholars maintain, but rather to socialism.

Quentin P. Taylor is an assistant professor of history and political science at Rogers State University, Claremore, Oklahoma.
EconomistsEconomyFreedomPhilosophy and ReligionSocialism, Communism, and Collectivism
Other Independent Review articles by Quentin P. Taylor
Winter 2009/10 Thomas Hobbes, Political Economist: His Changing Historical Fortunes
Winter 2004/05 Money and Politics in the Land of Oz
Winter 2003/04 An Original Omission? Property in Rawls’s Political Thought