John Stuart Mill, Utopianism, and the failure or liberalism

While I've been slacking off, Sabra has been bringing the Smart, and wicked smart it is, too. She's done a very in-depth post about why liberalism has gone off the rails, and traces it back to its roots (specifically John Stuart Mill).

I will link to the online text of Mill's work on Utilitarianism, as well as to a couple of articles about him. If you've got the time to kill, read 'em. It's quite intriguing to me just how far what now passes as liberalism has come from the classical version thereof. Even given his bizarre belief that despotism can (in some cases) be a legitimate form of government, can you imagine Maureen Dowd writing a treatise on liberty and the importance of the individual?

Her analysis of David Brooks' latest bit of silliness is much smarter - and more convincing - than mine.