Love, poetry, & the good life : Mill's autobiography & perfectionist ethics

Clark, Samuel (2010) Love, poetry, & the good life : Mill's autobiography & perfectionist ethics. Inquiry, 53 (6). pp. 565-578. ISSN 0020-174X

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Abstract

I argue for a perfectionist reading of Mill's account of the good life, by using the failures of development recorded in his Autobiography as a way to understand his official account of happiness in Utilitarianism. This work offers both a new perspective on Mill's thought, and a distinctive account of the role of aesthetic and emotional capacities in the most choiceworthy human life. I consider the philosophical purposes of autobiography, Mill's disagreements with Bentham, and the nature of competent judges and the pleasure they take in higher culture. I conclude that Millian perfectionism is an attractive and underappreciated option for contemporary value theory.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Inquiry
Additional Information:
The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Inquiry, 53 (6), 2010, © Informa Plc
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2719
Subjects:
?? health policybj ethics ??
ID Code:
35624
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
26 Jan 2011 10:10
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
29 Feb 2024 00:39