On Liberty and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
About this audiobook
This presentation examines two eloquent arguments for human liberty: John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty and Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.
In On Liberty, the great philosopher John Stuart Mill rigorously defends individual liberty based on the concept of utilitarianism, or “the greatest happiness for the greatest number.” Though his theoretical foundation rejects natural rights, he reaches a similar conclusion—that diversity in individual thought and action ultimately benefits society.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is a classic, pioneering work in woman’s rights which has influenced feminists for over two centuries. It is a passionate call for women to achieve independence and dignity by developing their ability to reason.
The Giants of Political Thought series is an easy and entertaining way to broaden your mind and your awareness of great ideas.
About the author
Wendy McElroy has written on women’s issues for Reason, Liberty, and the National Review. She is the author of several books on feminism and has worked as a scholar for such think tanks as the Cato Institute. She was a 1997 Mencken Award finalist.
David Gordon is the author of the novels Mystery Girl, now a major motion picture in Japan, and The Serialist, which won the VCU Cabell First Novel Award and was a finalist for an Edgar Award. He is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Columbia MFA program and also holds a master’s in English and comparative literature from Columbia. He has worked as a screenwriter and a magazine editor.
George H. Smith is an author, editor, educator, and speaker. His first book was the very popular Atheism: The Case against God. Smith began teaching in the 1970s and for nearly twenty years spent his summers instructing university students in political philosophy and American political and intellectual history at seminars sponsored by the Cato Institute and the Institute for Humane Studies. His many articles and book reviews have appeared in a wide range of publications, including Reason, the New York Times, and the Journal of Libertarian Studies.
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) was a moral and political theorist who challenged women’s conditions in eighteenth century England. She not only made a powerful case for liberating and educating women, she also lived out her theories and refused to cave to patriarchal pressure; passionate and forthright, her A Vindication of the Rights of Women was a great feminist treatise that paved the way for social reform in the nineteenth century. Wollstonecraft married William Godwin, a fellow radical, after becoming pregnant with his child. She died just ten days after giving birth to their daughter, who would grow up to be Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.
John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) is a celebrated English philosopher, economist, and civil servant. His works include texts in logic, epistemology, economics, social and political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, religion, and current affairs.