JOHN STUART MILL

1
JOHN STUART MILL

• By Orli Kadoch
• Spring 2007

2
EARLY LIFE

• Born May 20, 1806 in Pentoville, London
• Educated by his father who enforced exceedingly
  strict rules and regulations within the household
• At age 3, taught the Greek alphabet as well as
  the English language by age 8, was reading Plato
  and other works by philosophers as well as
  computing the most difficult algebraic problems

3
YOUNG ADULTHOOD

• Major mental breakdownpoetry of William
  Wordsworth helped John open up to hidden feelings
  of emotion
• Turned town acceptances to Oxford and Cambridge
  University because he refused to take orders from
  the church. Instead worked for British East
  India Company.
• Independent member of Parliament

4
MARRIAGE

• 1851 Married Harriet Taylora friend of 21 years
• Sparked the creations of On Liberty and The
  Subjection of Women, some of the first published
  works of liberalism discussing the limits of
  power by a society over an individual and
  equality of the sexes respectively.

5
WORKS--LIBERALISM

• Liberalism--explores the nature and limits of the
  power that can be legitimately exercised by
  society over the individual
• Mill discovered Harm Principle rejecting the idea
  of punishing those for harming themselves
• Pursuit of Free Speechimportant for fragments of
  truth not to get lost in the mix. Expression
  important. Debate reinforces thoughts and
  opinions.

6
WORKS--UTILITARIANISM

• Published Utilitarianismsparked widespread
  discussion. All forms of happiness no longer
  should be treated as equal (as Bentham stated).
• Individual should do their best to produce great
  happiness for as many people as they can
• Intellectual and moral pleasures win over any
  physical form of pleasure.

7
ECONOMIC PHILOSPHY

• Early economic philosophy based strongly on free
  market. Later accepted interventions in the
  economyi.e tax on alcohol and animal welfare
• Opposed progressive taxation because it hurt
  those who worked harder and saved more. A mild
  form of robbery
• Published Principles of Political Economyone of
  the most widely read books from that period

8
FAMOUS QUOTES

• "That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the
  chief danger of the time."
• "We can never be sure that the opinion we are
  endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion and if
  we were sure, stifling it would be an evil
  still.
• "The individual is not accountable to society for
  his actions, insofar as these concern the
  interests of no person but himself."
• "Everyone who receives the protection of society
  owes a return for the benefit."

9
PUBLISHED WORKS

• (1843) A System of Logic
• (1844) Essays on Some Unsettled Questions of
  Political Economy
• (1848) Principles of Political Economy
• (1859) On Liberty
• (1861) Considerations on Representative
  Government
• (1863) Utilitarianism
• (1865) Examinations of Sir William Hamiltons
  Philosophy
• (1865) Auguste Comte and Positive
• (1867) Inaugural Address at St. Andrews
• (1869) The Subject of Women
• (1873) Autobiography
• (1874) Three Essays on Religion

10
CONCLUSION

• John Stuart Mill aimed to show humans the ever
  changing ways of the world and how to best
  accommodate themselves to it.
• Aimed at improving humankind. Anticipated
  potential evils within the economy and society
  and prepared others to deal with them
• Never compromised principles or ideals no matter
  how often or to what extent they were challenge.
• Died May 8, 1873

11
BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Slide 1
• NNDB.com. 2007. NNDB World Tracking.
  http//www.nndb.com/people/147/000030057/
• Slide 2
• NNDB.com. 2007. NNDB World Tracking.
  http//www.nndb.com/people/147/000030057/
• CEPA.com. 2005. http//cepa.newschool.edu/het/pro
  files/jamesmill.html
• University of Mass. Education. 2006.
  http//www.umassd.edu/mathcontest/images/numbers.g
  if
• Slide 3
• Heydt, Colin. John Mill Overview. 2006.
  http//www.iep.utm.edu/m/milljs.htm
• http//www.readprint.com/images/authors/william-wo
  rdsworth.gif
• http//fi.edu/brain/images/mri_brain.jpg
• Slide 4
• Spartacus.com. Harriet Taylor. 2005.
  http//www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Wtaylor.htm
• Amazon.com. http//www.amazon.com/Basic-Writings-J
  ohn-Stuart-Mill/dp/0375759182/sr8-1/qid116908994
  4/refpd_bbs_sr_1/002-0966756-0956848?ieUTF8sbo
  oks
• Slide 5
• Wilson, Fred. Stanford EncyclopediaJohn S.
  Mill. 2006. http//plato.stanford.edu/entries/mi
  ll/
• Slide 6
• Same as slide 5
• Slide 7
• Utilitarianism.net. John Stuart Mill.
  http//www.utilitarian.net/jsmill/