Who is John Stuart Mill?
John Stuart Mill was born on May 20, 1806, in London, England. He was mostly known for his radical views. For example, he preached sexual equality, divorce, universal suffrage, free speech, and proportional representation. He had many works of writings such as Principles of Political Economy, On Liberty, The Subjections of Women, and the Three Essays of Religion: Nature, the Utility of Religion, and Theism.
John Mill was the eldest son of James Mill who was a philosopher, economist and a senior official in the East India Company. James educated John when he was young. His father taught him discipline, Greek at the age of three, history, languages, calculus, logic, political economy, geography, psychology, and rhetoric. At the age of twelve he was a competent logician and by the age of sixteen a well trained economist. (http://www.utilitarianism.com/jsmill.htm) His father believed that teaching children while they were young would have an ever lasting effect on them. The purpose of this push of education at a young age is because James thought that teaching John would have the chance of becoming a prophet of the utilitarian gospel. John had to eventually take his learning from his father and teach his eight younger brother and sisters the same material.
Around the age of sixteen, John created a Utilitarian Society, which had the goal of bringing happiness to the greatest number of people, where he was one of a “small knot of young men” who practiced his father’s political and philosophical views. (http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/m/milljs.htm) At the age of twenty-one he suffered a mental breakdown, which resulted from severe strain from his earlier years. In his own autobiography, which was later published after his death, he wrote, that he was in a “dull state of nerves”; and that he had lost his charm. He said he had “no delight in virtue, or the general good, but also just as little in anything else.” After several months he realized that his emotions where not dried up and “the cloud gradually drew off.” In 1823 John took a clerkship position in the Examiner’s Office at the East India Company. Later he eventually headed that department. Harriet Taylor who was a close friend with John co-wrote several pieces of work with him. They met in 1830 and she was the mother of t...
... middle of paper ...
...em. This is what he is trying to bring up to action of treating women with respect and the same as men treat other men. He concludes chapter one by stating, “But, in that case, all that has been done in the modern world to relate that chain on the minds of women, has been a mistake. They never should have been allowed to receive a literary education. Women who read, much more women who write, are, in the existing constitution of things, a contradiction and a disturbing element: and it was wrong to bring women up with any acquirements but those of an odalisque, or of a domestic servant.” (The Longman Anthology, pg. 527)
In conclusion, He was mostly known for his radical views. Principles of Political Economy, On Liberty, The Subjections of Women, and the Three Essays of Religion: Nature, the Utility of Religion, and Theism, where just some of the many works that he published to show the world that everything is not always perfect and intact. He showed that you could express your mind and that this is the new era of thinking. His writings on women’s rights to the economy where way ahead of his time. It is true that John Stuart Mill’s is not known well enough today as he should be.
Richard Lebow’s analyzed Mill’s arguments sustaining that it can be identified two contrary visions; one arguing for the market on its own and the other for the necessity of a state’s intervention. This classification of two clearly opposed views is also raised by Gide and Rist in the following statement “During the first half of his life, Mill was an individualist who was deeply committed to utilitarianism. During the second half, he was a socialist who remained a champion of individual liberty” (1947, page
Mill and Kant are both extremely endowed philosophers that argue extremely good points. Although their views differ in many different aspects, they lay a good foundation for belief for others to build on or to critique.
Descartes asserts knowledge is done through experimentation using a scientifc method to removing opinions, and come up with a solution to conflicts. In the Discourse on Method, Descartes describes his unique style of reasoning, and makes clear that his main goal for writing is to solve epistemology, or the theory of knowledge. Similar to Socrates, Descartes sensory perceptions cause a false belief in the world around us, he believes one needs to be thinking on the intelligible level, however Descartes provides a different method to achieving this goal.
The short essay On Liberty was written by an English philosopher by the name of John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). In this essay Mill basically talk about the system of utilitarianism to society and the state. Mill attempts to establish standards for the relationship between authority and liberty. He emphasizes the importance of individuality which he conceived as a prerequisite to the higher pleasures the “summum bonum” of Utilitarianism. Furthermore, Mill criticized the errors of past attempts to defend individuality where democratic ideals resulted in the "tyranny of the majority". Mill explains his concept of individual freedom of his ideas on history and on the state. On Liberty relies on the idea that society progresses from lower to higher stages and that this
In utilitarianism John Stuart Mill introduced the idea of pleasures. All people seek to satisfy their desires, needs and happiness that mean prolonged and continuous pleasure. While utilitarianism is a theory directed against egoism which is opposes to the satisfaction of personal interest. The allowance of pleasure in every situation is determined by whether people contribute to the achievement of a higher purpose or general happiness. Morality is defined by Mill as rule by leading a man in his actions, through the observaing of which is delivered to all mankind the existence of the most free from suffering and intense pleasures.
John Stewart Mill a student of Bentham is a philosopher from the 1800’s, who loved to be on the levels of political philosophy. Growing up he was hugely influenced by Jeremy Bentham. This influence had a great turn in his life, as he began to focus and study the theory called “Utiltranisim”. In 1863, Mill wrote a book called Utilitarianism. In this book Mill showed different ideas and different th...
Mill, John S. The Basic Writings of John Stuart Mill. New York, New York: Modern Library, 2002. Print.
Utilitarianism defined, is the contention that a man should judge everything based on the ability to promote the greatest individual happiness. In other words Utilitarianism states that good is what brings the most happiness to the most people. John Stuart Mill based his utilitarian principle on the decisions that we make. He says the decisions should always benefit the most people as much as possible no matter what the consequences might be. Mill says that we should weigh the outcomes and make our decisions based on the outcome that benefits the majority of the people. This leads to him stating that pleasure is the only desirable consequence of our decision or actions. Mill believes that human beings are endowed with the ability for conscious thought, and they are not satisfied with physical pleasures, but they strive to achieve pleasure of the mind as well.
On May 20th in 1806, John Stuart Mill was born in Pentonville, England, which was a suburb just outside of London. From the very young age of three years John’s father, James Mill, began his rigorous education. Up until the age of eight, Mill was studying Greek, English, and Arithmetic. By the time he was eight years old, he was studying Latin. John’s father knew that his son was intelligent as a toddler, and he even mentions it in his biography. James writes, “When I received your letter on Monday, John, who is so desirous to be your inmate, was in the room, and observed me smiling as I read it. This excited his curiosity to know what it was about. I said it was Mr. Bentham asking us to go to Barrow Green. He desired to read that. I gave it to him to see what he would say, when he began, as if reading- Why have you not come to Barrow Green, and brought John with you?” This letter written by his father not only represents a precious father-son moment, but also shows the curiosity and desire to learn in the young John Stuart Mill’s behavior.
Over the last several years the dangers of driving while intoxicated have increased and have become a serious threat to this nation. Although, men are considered the main perpetrators of DUIs recently women, young adults, and even teenagers have been pulled over and arrested for being intoxicated while operating a vehicle. Many groups and organizations have been formed in an attempt to keep drunk drivers off the roads. Laws have been passed and are constantly changing in an attempt to cut down the number of DUIs and deaths. With new technology in production and automakers adding more safety features to their cars the war against drunken driving is still going on. Therefore, as a result of the increase due to drinking and driving, it is essential that tougher laws are enacted.
In his book Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes tries to accomplish several subject concerns. Firstly, Descartes attempts to accomplish the use of methodological doubt to rid himself of all beliefs that could be false. Then, he arrives at particular beliefs that could not possibly be false. Next, he discovers a criterion of knowledge. Also, he proves that the mind is distinct from the body and also the existence of God.
David Hume and John Stuart Mill are both philosophers that believe in a higher power (god(s)). They are primarily concerned with the thought process behind human action. Their main discussion points are on the moral values of humans, and the difference between what is moral and what is just, or any combination of the two.
In order to understand John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism we must first understand his history and motives in writing the series of essays. Mill had many influencers most notably his father James Mill and the father of Utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham. James grew up poor but was influenced by his mother, who had high hopes for the formerly named Milne family, and educated himself becoming a preacher and then executive in the East India Company. James was a proponent of empiricism and believed in John Locke’s idea of man being born as a blank slate. James did not send his son John to school, teaching him rigorously from the early age of three. Despite his father’s emphasis on the blank slate, Mill was criticized for being a manufactured man because
In the past few years there has been people getting pulled over for drinking under the influence. It is really dangerous for anyone to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Anyone who does this could endanger his or her life including others. There are so many people who has lost their lives because people want to make a mistake by driving under the influence not thinking twice about what could happened to them or other people. People don’t know that if they get caught driving for DUI then it stays on their record forever.
An individual does not make a community, and a community does not make a society. In order to have a functioning and prosperous society, one must relinquish some free will in return for protection. According to John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, there are certain rights of the individual which the government may never possess. Centuries after the publication of Mill’s Essay, the court case Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegeta l , 546 U.S. 418 (2006) challenged the protective role of government against the free exercise of religion. In this instance, Mill would agree with the court ruling because, like his views concerning free exercise of will, government restriction and majority rule, both the court ruling and Mill’s ideals are concerned for the best interests of the individual rather than for the greater good of society.