John Stuart Mill’s
Utilitarianism
is a philosophical defense of utilitarianism, a moral theory stating that right actions are those that tend to promote overall happiness. The essay first appeared as a series of articles published in
Fraser’s Magazine
in 1861; the articles were collected and reprinted as a single book in 1863. Mill discusses utilitarianism in some of his other works, including
On Liberty
and
The Subjection of Women
, but
contains his only sustained defence of the theory.
In this Broadview Edition, Colin Heydt provides a substantial introduction that will enable readers to understand better the polemical context for
. Heydt shows, for example, how Mill’s moral philosophy grew out of political engagement, rather than exclusively out of a speculative interest in determining the nature of morality. Appendices include precedents to Mill’s work, reactions to Utilitarianism, and related writings by Mill.