Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-299) and index.

The moderns and Plato -- Liberty and the just moral conscience -- The cultivation of the individual and society : J.S. Mill's use of ancient and romantic dialectics -- On liberty : overcoming the west's one-sided moral development -- Reforming reformed religion: J.S. Mill's critique of the natural religion of the Enlightenment -- On liberty : the summum bonum of modern liberalism -- Mill and political philosophy.

In "Reforming Liberalism", Robert Devigne challenges prevailing interpretations of the political and moral thought of John Stuart Mill and the theoretical underpinnings of modern liberal philosophy. He explains how Mill drew from ancient and romantic thought as well as past religious practices to reconcile conflicts and antinomies (liberty and virtue, self-interest and morality, equality and human excellence) that were hobbling traditional liberalism. The book shows that Mill, regarded as a seminal writer in the liberal tradition, critiques liberalism's weaknesses with a forcefulness usually associated with its well-known critics. Devigne explores Mill's writings to demonstrate how his thought has been misconstrued, as well as oversimplified, to the detriment of our understanding of liberalism itself.