reviews

Greatest of the Liberal philosophers his thought and whole mind- set. Liberty was at the root of Richard Reeves: John Stuart Mill, Victorian Firebrand (Atlantic his attitude both to democracy Books, 2007) and gender equality and to the ‘socialism’ with which he Reviewed by Eugenio Biagini toyed throughout his career. As Reeves argues:

his is the first full-length authority is frequently invoked [It] was Mill’s liberalism that biography of the great by libertarian Conservatives and shaped his response to social- TVictorian philosopher Fabian socialists as much as by ism … He was vehemently since the publication of Michael Liberal Democrats. How can we opposed to centralised state St John Packe’s work more than account for such a dramatic and control of the economy, but fifty years ago.1 In the mean long-lasting impact? was a strong supporter of time Mill has inspired hundreds Mill was a political and con- socialism in the form of collec- of publications by some of the stitutional theorist, logician, tive ownership of individual world’s leading scholars in dis- economist, civil rights cam- enterprises, competing in a ciplines ranging from logic and paigner, social reformer, impe- market economy. In the final political theory to economics rial administrator and an MP for analysis, the best system was and social history. Almost every the constituency of Westminster the one which provided for the single aspect of his life and work (1865–68), then one of the few ‘greatest amount of human lib- has attracted not only special- ‘democratic’ boroughs in the erty and spontaneity’ … Mill ist attention, but also debate, country. His hobbies included was a liberal, a democrat and a greatly stimulated by the publi- botany, which turned him socialist – in that order. (p.7) cation of the monumental Col- into a keen environmentalist lected Works.2 and a champion of biodiver- Here we find a further reason The task of producing a sity (pp. 234–35). But what is why Mill continues to exert a major reassessment of Mill’s life truly exceptional about him is powerful fascination on mod- and work in the twenty-first not that he took such an active ern Liberals, especially in this century was therefore a daunt- interest in so many different country and the rest of Europe, ing prospect for any single disciplines and fields of political where ‘liberty’ is closely linked writer. It is symptomatic of activity, but that he excelled in all to a degree of social democracy. the topicality and relevance of of them, to the extent of setting Mill’s ideas for the wider public new standards among academ- that such a task was attempted ics while also reshaping popular not by a professional historian or opinion. Thus his Principles of philosopher, but by a journalist Political Economy (first published and former government advisor in 1848, then widely revised in on welfare reform. This is also successive editions until 1873), very appropriate: for journal- became and remained a main ism and advising on (and indeed textbook in British and Irish making) public policy were two universities for a whole genera- of the many ways in which Mill tion. Its abridged popular edi- exercised his influence during a tion sold tens of thousands of career which spanned the cen- copies, and inspired the publica- tral decades of the nineteenth tion of similar works by some century and was only inter- of Mill’s disciples (including rupted by his sudden death in Henry and Millicent Fawcett), 1873. By then he was regarded which in turn fired the reform- as the greatest Liberal of his age. ing zeal of late-Victorian labour A hundred and thirty-four years leaders. later he was voted ‘the greatest Of course, of all of his works, Liberal’ in a poll sponsored by it is On Liberty (1859) which has the present Journal. Moreover, been and continues to be the although many of his views one most widely read. This is were controversial during his not surprising, not only because own lifetime, most of them have of the intrinsic value of this since become accepted features ‘little book’ (as Mill called it), of the way we understand dem- but also because liberalism was ocratic life, to the extent that his certainly the key dimension of

50 Journal of Liberal History 60 Autumn 2008 reviews

This link, which came to Reeves has who constantly stimulated and and economic thought to dominate Liberal politics in the encouraged him to explore social and political history and days of Beveridge and Keynes, produced new ideas and venture into gender studies – Reeves has was first identified by Mill, for a lucid and uncharted and difficult territo- produced a lucid and percep- whom finding the right bal- ries, even when this involved tive synthesis, which pays equal ance between individualism perceptive standing up to public opinion attention to Mill’s life and the and social responsibility was a and challenging contemporary development of his ideas. The moral imperative as well as the synthesis, political correctness. book has a predominantly main question in modern social One of the areas in which chronological structure, but engineering. which pays Mill was a resolute ‘noncon- each chapter has also a strong Reeves brings to life this equal atten- formist’ was in his attitude to thematic focus, which enables extraordinary figure in a sym- racial prejudice. In a famous the author to study the various pathetic but critical biography, tion to Mill’s revisionist account, Mehta has dimensions and developments a comprehensive study which criticised Mill for his ‘Oriental- of Mill’s thought and career in reveals – ‘warts and all’ – the life and the ist’ attitudes to India.3 An Ori- their historical and biographi- multifaceted personality of this entalist he may have been, but cal context. The result is a great philosopher-man of action. development without any consistent sense of historical biography, which the It must be said that there are of his ideas. imperial superiority; in fact he general reader will find riveting not many ‘warts’, but Mill was was often critical and dismissive and the professional academic no saint, let alone ‘the Saint of the claims and pretensions of indispensable. of Rationalism’ as Gladstone the European powers, arguing, dubbed him – at least not in the for example, that ‘the character- Eugenio F. Biagini is a Lecturer in sense of being only motivated istic of Germany is knowledge History at Sidney Sussex College by some cool utilitarian calcu- without thought; of France, Cambridge, and Reviews Editor of lus of costs and benefits. On the thought without knowledge; the Journal of Liberal History. contrary, he was passionate to of England, neither knowledge an excess, often allowing his nor thought’ (cit. pp.220–21). In 1 M. St J. Packe, The Life of John Stu- emotions to drive him beyond his days he was in fact criticised art Mill (Seker & Warburg, 1954); prudence. His personal auster- for his racial egalitarianism, an but see also the recent short biogra- ity and principled approach to attitude which was perceived as phy by W. Stafford,John Stuart Mill public affairs were somehow out of step not only with public (Macmillan, 1998). ‘saintly’, but Reeves puts them opinion, but also with what the 2 John Robson et al (eds.), The Col- in context and shows how Mill majority regarded as ‘a fact’ – lected Works of John Stuart Mill (33 could also be extremely prickly namely, the notion of a cultural volumes, University of Toronto and unforgiving, especially (or even biological) superiority Press and Routledge & Kegan Paul, when it came to what he per- of the ‘white man’ over the rest 1965ñ91). ceived as affronts to his beloved of the human species. 3 U. Singh Mehta, Liberalism and friend, intellectual partner and Mastering a bibliography Empire (University of Chicago (eventually) wife, Harriet Tay- which is not only vast but also Press, 1999). See also Lynn Zas- lor. It did not help that she was multidisciplinary – ranging toupil, John Stuart Mill and India also touchy and self-centred. from the history of political (Stanford University Press, 1994). Reeves offers a persuasive reassessment of their relation- ship and her influence on him. This is an area which has attracted considerable debate, Social Liberalism largely because Mill was always extravagantly generous in his Duncan Brack, Richard S. Grayson and David Howarth (eds.): praise of Harriet’s gifts and Reinventing the State: Social Liberalism for the 21st Century contribution to his intellectual development. Weighing care- (Politico’s, 2007) fully the evidence, Reeves Reviewed by Neil Stockley suggests that she should not be regarded as either the insti- gator of Mill’s most radical views (for example on gender ei n v en t i ng t h e State Its then leader, Sir Menzies equality and ‘socialism’), or as appeared on the eve of the Campbell, was achieving little a boastful mediocrity. Instead, RLiberal Democrats’ 2007 traction with the public and the Harriet was for him primarily autumn conference. This was Liberal Democrats were lan- an intellectual companion, a difficult time for the party. guishing in the opinion polls.

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