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A System of Logic – Rationative and Inductive (1843)
In this work Mill takes the side of the empiricists and argues for a method of inferring cause and effect from characteristics and circumstances of phenomena under study. To Mill, the only reliable method of inquiry and production of new knowledge is observation and inductive reasoning from particular instances. (Macleod, 2016) -
Principles of Political Economy
Mill argues for mathematical and cause and effect analysis of market and production dynamics, classifying production resources separately from consumer goods, which are in his thinking an end result and not contributors to wealth building and productivity generally. They have, according to Mill, primarily subjective utility or value, while production resources have objective utility which is measurable. -
On Liberty
Mill’s primary concern in On Liberty is the limitations on liberty that society or civilization can legitimately impose against the individual. With the rise of democratic forms of government, he rightly recognized that the threat of tyranny from the masses of people comprising the new sovereign, when such is motivated by fear or other uncivilized priorities, was comparable to the threat from a single familial aristocracy. -
Utilitarianism
In this work Mill argues for a consistent standard for determining right and wrong, and adopts the consequentialist, or empirical position that the utility of the outcome of a choice should be the standard by which it is judged. Utility in this context does not mean objectively practical as opposed to having subjective value or producing pleasure only, but includes both.