Since utilitarians favor maximizing the good, it will tend to favor leaving people to their own devices. People are reasonably good at pursuing their own good. There is a general reason why utilitarianism tends to favor liberty. Following in this tradition, utilitarians today tend to be highly conversant in the social sciences and/or eager to use philosophical argument in the cause of social reform. They were for rationalizing the legal system, liberalizing the economy, promoting science, and public education. In its time, the early to mid-19th century, classical utilitarianism was a doctrine of reform. Mill, by contrast, had the luxury of concerning himself with social improvement. Hobbes largely devoted himself to a conservative aim of preserving the state. The main problem that Mill sought to address was quite different. The main problem that Hobbes sought to address was political stability, how to avoid civil war. Mill on Liberty and Utilitarianism Mill on Liberty and Utilitarianism Notes for October 4–9 Main points
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