John Stuart Mill

Mill's philosophy combines utilitarianism, liberalism, and perfectionism, and examines issues of epistemology, ethics, politics, and economics. Mill viewed political economy as an abstraction centered on the pursuit of wealth, influenced by natural, social, and psychological factors. He advocated the reorganization of labor for the working class, criticized both communism and capitalism, and promoted socialist cooperativism. Finally, Mill recognized the importance of non-labor activities for moral and social progress and envisioned a society balanced between the pursuit of wealth and intellectual, moral, and spiritual interests, anticipating themes of future social democratic policies.