David Lyons (born February 6, 1935) is an American moral, political and legal philosopher who is emeritus professor of philosophy and of law at Boston University.

This biography of a living person relies too much on references to primary sources. (July 2012)

Lyons earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University where he studied under John Rawls. He taught at Cornell University from 1964 until 1995, when he joined the BU faculty.^[1] His former students include David O. Brink.

He is particularly well known for his interpretation of the philosophy of John Stuart Mill, arguing that Mill's utilitarianism is compatible with recognizing the importance of rights.

• Moral Aspects of Legal Theory : Essays on Law, Justice and Political Responsibility. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN 978-0-521-43244-3 ISBN ^[2]
  • Translated into Spanish as Aspectos morales de la teoria juridica : ensayos sobre la ley, la justicia y la responsabilidad política ISBN 978-84-7432-601-7
• Mill's Utilitarianism : Critical Essays (editor) Lanham (Md.) : Rowman & Littlefield, 1997. ISBN 978-0-8476-8783-1 ^[3]
• Rights, Welfare, and Mill's Moral Theory. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.ISBN 9780195082180 ^[4]
• Ethics and the Rule of Law. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge University Press, 1984. ISBN 978-0-521-27712-9 Held in over 1000 worldCat libraries.^[5]
  • Translated into Polish as Etyka i rządy prawa ISBN 978-83-7261-058-4
• Rights. (editor) The Wadsworth series in social philosophy. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Pub. Co, 1979. ISBN 978-0-534-00600-6 ^[6]
  • Translated into Spanish as Ética y derecho ISBN 978-84-344-1521-8
• In the Interest of the Governed; A Study in Bentham's philosophy of utility and law. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1973. ISBN 978-0-19-824503-2 ^[7]
• Forms and Limits of Utilitarianism. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1965. ISBN 978-0-19-824197-3 ^[8]