John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher who had a profound impact on the development of both liberalism and human rights. As such, he is viewed today as an important figure in western history, especially in relation to the contributions he made in the studies of both politics and economics. He wrote extensively about the role of the government in society and is known today as one of the most influential people in the history of classical liberalism. In fact, his ideas have had a profound impact on the development of liberalism throughout history.
JOHN STUART MILL – EARLY LIFE
John Stuart Mill was born on May 20th, 1806 in London, England. His father was the famous Scottish philosopher, James Mill. As such, John Stuart Mill was raised with an excellent education, as his father hoped to provide him with the best possible opportunities in academics. For instance, John Stuart Mill studied several different topics from a young age, including: astronomy, history, languages, logic, mathematics and physics. In terms of languages, Mill was taught both Greek and Latin as a young child, which allowed him to study famous ancient works by writers such as Plato. His education continued throughout his teen years, including a year of study in France.
At the age of seventeen, Mill went to work for the British East India Company, while also attending University College in London, England. At the time, the British East India Company was involved in major operations in India, including imperial rule over the subcontinent. Mill worked for the British East India Company from 1823 until 1858, and was mostly employed in correspondence. For instance, he often wrote in defense of British imperial rule in India and the role of the British East India Company. However, he left the British East India Company after it lost control of India when the British Crown took it over.
JOHN STUART MILL – LATER YEARS AND DEATH
In his later years, Mill continued to write about his view on liberty. He also married and participated more in politics in England. For example, he married Harriet Taylor in 1851. As well, he served as a Member of Parliament in England from 1865 until 1868. At the time, he was a member of the Liberal Party. Mill died on May 7th, 1873 in Avignon, France from a bacterial infection in his skin.
JOHN STUART MILL – ON LIBERTY
As stated above, Mill was an impassioned writer in his life and penned many influential works. Likely his most work was his essay entitled ‘On Liberty’, which he first published in 1859. In it, Mill argued in favor of establishing a just society based on the principles of logic and rational thought. Furthermore, Mill’s ‘On Liberty’ is considered to be a foundational work in the development of liberalism, especially in relation to classical liberalism. In general, classical liberalism is a right-wing ideology and based upon the values of political and economic individualism. This means that it highly values individual freedoms and limited government intervention in the lives of citizens. Mill wrote extensively about the importance of individuality and the need for less government intervention. For instance, Mill argued that the rights of individuals should be extended to the greatest extent possible. For example, he argued for limited government intervention in the lives of citizens and promoted the idea that the government should only seek to protect: rule of law, private ownership, and the security of the individual. Further to this idea, Mill was a strong supporter of freedom of speech. He argued against governments censoring the views of citizens and supported the idea that people should be allowed to express their views regardless of if they are supported by the rest of society.
Besides his contributions to classical liberalism, Mill was also significant to the theory of Utilitarianism. For example, Mill wrote a book titled ‘Utilitarianism’, which was published in 1863. In general, Utilitarianism is a theory based on ethics, which promotes acts that cause happiness more than acts that don’t. Famous philosopher Jeremy Bentham is considered to be the founder of Utilitarianism, while John Stuart Mill is viewed as Bentham’s predecessor. Furthermore, Jeremy Bentham was a contemporary of James Mill, Jon Stuart’s father, and helped advise James Mill on John Stuart’s education as a young man.
