John Stuart Mill’s robust egalitarianism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21604751 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sven Ove Hansson (0000-0003-0071-3919, Division of Philosophy, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 485-520 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of the History of Economic Thought (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0967-2567 • E-ISSN: 1469-5936 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/09672567.2025.2509530 |
| OpenAlex | W4414391886 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 75 |
Although John Stuart Mill provided no systematic account of equality, there is extensive textual evidence in his writings of an overarching egalitarian standpoint, which he applied consistently in a wide variety of contexts. Mill had a strong belief in the equal inborn capacities of all human beings. He was convinced that a more equal society could and should be realised, but it required a general moral improvement that would be a slow and gradual process. The major limitation on short-term egalitarian reforms was, in modern terminology, that they should not disrupt the incentives needed to keep the economy going
Egalitarianism · Incentive · Mill · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Political Theory and Influence
The Law of Peoples
An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation
What Is the Point of Equality?
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
Race, culture, and evolution
The Spirit Level
John Stuart Mill on Luck and Distributive Justice
Kants Gesammelte Schriften.
Work Ethics, Soft Capitalism and the ‘Turn to Life’
John Stuart Mill and the Conflicts of Equality
John Stuart Mill and the Irish Land Question
Work ethic and economic development
Mill’s Circle(s) of Liberty
John Stuart Mill, Radical Feminist
Economic Growth and Income Inequality
Victorian Education and the Ideal of Womanhood
David Ricardo
Imperial Sceptics
Risk and Responsibility in Context
The Complexion of Race
An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice
The Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith, Vol. 5
Jeremy Bentham and Church of England education
John Stuart Mill and Fourierism
Ideal vs. Non‐ideal Theory
Theories of industrialization in Africa
John Stuart Mill, innate differences, and the regulation of reproduction
Bentham and J. S. Mill on Tax Reform
Navigating by the North Star
Conflicting Principles or Completing Counterparts? J. S. Mill on Political Economy and the Equality of Women
Mill's Evolutionary Theory of Justice
Mill's ‘Modern’ Radicalism Re-Examined
Mill in Parliament
John Stuart Mill on Race
Mill’s Liberal Project and Defence of Colonialism from a Post-Colonial Perspective’
Negrophilist’ Crusader
The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Political Thought
Perfect Equality
Mill’S Affirmation of the Classical Wage Fund Doctrine
J. S. Mill on the Income Tax Exemption and Inheritance Taxes
Charles Fourier
The State Of Victorian Political History
Happiness, Justice, and Freedom
Beyond the facts
The Reality versus the Ideal
Tolerant Imperialism
"John Stuart Mill's "The Subjection of Women
John Stuart Mill on Androgyny and Ideal Marriage
A Turn to Empire
John Stuart Mill on the Antipodes
Feminism and Anti-Feminism in Early Economic Thought
The Fate and Influence of John Stuart Mill's Proposed Science of Ethology
Utilitarianism and Luck
Adam Smith, Behavioral Economist
Thinking About Analytical Egalitarianism
Leviathan; or, the Matter, Forme, & Power of a Common-Wealth, Ecclesiasticall and Civill
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |