On liberty /

In this eighth contribution to "Rethinking the Western Tradition." Bromwich (English, Yale Univ.) elegantly briefs Mill's life and thought, and Kateb (Politics, Princeton Univ.) provides an eloquent and innovative reading of On Liberty. After Mill's text, four notable public intellectuals discuss On Liberty in terms of current concerns. None of these four is a Mill specialist; indeed, three are law professors (Owen Fiss, Yale Univ.; Richard Posner, Univ. of Chicago; and Jeremy Waldron, Columbia Univ.) and Jean Elshtain (Univ. of Chicago) is a political theorist who writes on religion. This mix is designed to engage students and teachers, and it admirably meets that purpose. Fiss thinks that Mill privileges free speech and democratic politics over his "no harm to others" principle. Posner sees Mill's acceptance of "moral externalities" generated by freedom for self-realization as a small price to pay for a dynamic society. Elshtain sees Mill as a "liberal monist" neglecting the importance of authority for individual and social flourishing. Waldron's essay is the strongest in the collection. By stressing culture, not the state, as the focus of On Liberty, he advances central themes in contemporary Mill scholarship and, through Mill, gives a needed voice to current cultural and political conflicts. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General readers and undergraduate students. E. J. Eisenach University of Tulsa