Navigating by the North Star: the role of the 'ideal' in J.S. Mill's View of 'utopian' schemes and the possibilities of social transformation

Mccabe, Helen

Abstract

The role of the 'ideal' in political philosophy is currently much discussed. These debates cast useful light on Mill's self-designation as 'under the general designation of Socialist'. Considering Mill's assessment of potential property-relations on the grounds of their desirability, feasibility and 'accessibility' (disambiguated as 'immediate-availability', 'eventual-availability' and ;conceivable-availability') shows us not only how desirable and feasible he thought 'utopian' socialist schemes were, but which options we should implement. This, coupled with Mill's belief that a socialist ideal should guide social reforms (as the North Star guides mariners), reveals much more clearly the extent of his socialist commitments (even if he thought political economists would be concerned with forms of individual property for some time to come). Moreover, this framework for assessments of 'ideal' institutions makes a useful contribution to an ongoing contemporary debate.

Citation

Mccabe, H. (2019). Navigating by the North Star: the role of the 'ideal' in J.S. Mill's View of 'utopian' schemes and the possibilities of social transformation. Utilitas, 31(3), 291-309. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0953820819000074

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 23, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Apr 23, 2019
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jan 24, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 25, 2019
• Journal: Utilitas
• Print ISSN: 0953-8208
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-6183
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 31
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 291-309
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0953820819000074
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1495058
• Publisher URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/utilitas/article/navigating-by-the-north-star-the-role-of-the-ideal-in-john-stuart-mills-view-of-utopian-schemes-and-the-possibilities-of-social-transformation/C7C299E0208DFEE9543D61BC75FE96BA
• Related Public URLs: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/utilitas
• Additional Information: © Cambridge University Press 2019