Podcasts:

Liberty Series (3): John Stuart Mill, Linchpin Between Classical and Modern Liberalism

John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) was a brilliant thinker shaped by an intense intellectual upbringing under his father, James Mill, and the utilitarian circle of Jeremy Bentham. Trained in logic, philosophy, and economics, he was expected to advance the utilitarian mission of maximizing happiness through reason and reform. However, this pressure led to a nervous breakdown in his early twenties, prompting him to question his beliefs and find solace in poetry. In this episode, we explore how Mill’s upbringing, struggles, and views on liberty, politics, and colonialism shaped his work—and why his ideas still matter today.

Liberty Series (2): John Locke, Edmund Burke, and Thomas Paine: the Quest for Liberty.

Join us as we delve into the liberalism of John Locke, particularly the idea of natural law and what it means to form and dissolve a government, and consider his influence on one of the lesser known fathers of the American revolution, Thomas Paine. We analyse the disagreement between Paine and Edmund Burke on the merits of hereditary government.