A System of Logic (1843)
Empiricist account of induction and scientific method, including Mill's methods of agreement and difference
Philosophy
John Stuart Mill
1806–1873 · English
Utilitarianism; liberalism; empiricism
John Stuart Mill was the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the 19th century. He refined Bentham's utilitarianism, defended individual liberty through the harm principle, argued for women's equality and representative democracy, and wrote major works on logic and political economy.
How to spot them
- ▸The harm principle; On Liberty; "tyranny of the majority"
- ▸Higher and lower pleasures; "Socrates dissatisfied" versus "a pig satisfied"
- ▸Harriet Taylor; The Subjection of Women; MP for Westminster
- ▸Hot-house education by his father James Mill; Greek at three
Key works
Principles of Political Economy (1848)
Leading economics textbook of its era, distinguishing laws of production from social choices about distribution
On Liberty (1859)
Defends freedom of thought, expression and individuality; society may restrict liberty only to prevent harm to others
Considerations on Representative Government (1861)
Argues for representative democracy, proportional representation and a broad franchise
Utilitarianism (1861)
Defends the greatest happiness principle and distinguishes higher from lower pleasures (serialised 1861; book 1863)
The Subjection of Women (1869)
Argues that the legal subordination of women is wrong and should be replaced by perfect equality; influenced by Harriet Taylor
Key ideas
- Harm principle: "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others"
- Higher and lower pleasures: pleasures differ in quality, not just quantity; intellectual and moral pleasures are superior
- Free expression: silencing an opinion is wrong because it may be true, may contain part of the truth, and even if false keeps true beliefs from becoming "dead dogma"
- Tyranny of the majority: social pressure and majority opinion, not just government, can threaten individual liberty
- Equality of the sexes: women should have equal legal rights, education and the vote
Quick-fire facts
- •Educated intensively by his father James Mill with guidance from Bentham; began Greek at three and Latin at eight
- •Suffered a mental crisis in 1826, from which Wordsworth's poetry helped him recover
- •Worked for the East India Company for 35 years
- •Wrote "It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied"
- •Married Harriet Taylor in 1851 and dedicated On Liberty to her memory
- •As Liberal MP for Westminster (1865–68) he proposed amending the 1867 Reform Bill to replace "man" with "person", giving women the vote
- •Was secular godfather to Bertrand Russell
- •Died in Avignon, France, where he is buried beside Harriet Taylor
Drill it — 10 cards
1 / 10new card
Sources
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — John Stuart Mill
- Anthony Kenny — A New History of Western Philosophy