John Stuart Mill's synthesis rights and utility follows naturally in the vein of neoclassical utilitarianism, and it attempts to compensate for many of the shortcomings of Bentham's classical utilitarianism. In the end, it turns out to be a doctrine that does not look very similar to Bentham's at all. An important component of Mill's doctrine is his harm principle, which states that the only purpose for which one can interfere with the liberty of action of another individual is self-protection. He also emphasizes free speech because he believes that through the process of argument, one can arrive at truth, which amounts to utility for society. A significant departure from the early Enlightenment, Mill believes in fallibility, and his philosophy of science closely resembles the modern conception. However, there seems to be inconsistency in his application of his libertarian theory where he seems to ignore some types of harm to others. Professor Shapiro reconciles for this by advocating a different, two-step reading of Mill.

Reading assignment:
Mill, On Liberty, chapters 3-4

Mill, Utilitarianism, chapters 1-3 [optional]

1. Information and Housekeeping
2. Introductory Lecture
3. Natural Law Roots of the Social Contract Tradition
4. Origins of Classical Utilitarianism
5. Classical Utilitarianism and Distributive Justice
6. From Classical to Neoclassical Utilitarianism
7. The Neoclassical Synthesis of Rights and Utility
8. Limits of the Neoclassical Synthesis
9. The Marxian Challenge
10. Marx's Theory of Capitalism
11. Marxian Exploitation and Distributive Justice
12. The Marxian Failure and Legacy
13. Appropriating Locke Today
14. Rights as Side Constraints and the Minimal State
15. Compensation versus Redistribution
16. The Rawlsian Social Contract
17. Distributive Justice and the Welfare State
18. The "Political-not-Metaphysical" Legacy
19. The Burkean Outlook
20. Contemporary Communitarianism (I)
21. Contemporary Communitarianism (II)
22. Democracy and Majority Rule (I)
23. Democracy and Majority Rule (II)
24. Democratic Justice: Theory
25. Democratic Justice: Applications

This course explores main answers to the question, "When do governments deserve our allegiance?" It starts with a survey of major political theories of the Enlightenment—Utilitarianism, Marxism, and the social contract tradition—through classical formulations, historical context, and contemporary debates relating to politics today. It then turns to the rejection of Enlightenment political thinking. Lastly, it deals with the nature of, and justifications for, democratic politics, and their relations to Enlightenment and Anti-Enlightenment political thinking. Practical implications of these arguments are covered through discussion of a variety of concrete problems.

Course Structure:
This Yale College course, taught on campus twice per week for 50 minutes, was recorded for Open Yale Courses in Spring 2010.