John Stuart Mill was once considered “the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century. ” From early on in his life, Mill was challenged to think outside the box and question long held views of society from his father. Throughout his life, Mill presented his way of thinking and gave his insight on numerous issues. John Stuart Mill was known most famously for his defense of utilitarianism and personal liberty. Mill worked his whole life to promote utilitarianism.
Utilitarianism, as defined by Mill himself was “Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain the privation of pleasure. ” In other words, the theory that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of society as a whole. Mill said that we as a society should value virtue, freedom, and individuality as the qualities that make us happy and proud of ourselves.
Mill also defines happiness as pleasure and the absence of suffering. Mill wanted people to believe in his idea of utilitarianism and wanted to see society improve. If society were to embrace utilitarianism as a way of life, people would naturally take in this theory as morally acceptable. Mill argued that happiness is the only basis of morality, and that people never desire anything but happiness. He supported this claim by showing that all the other objects of people’s desire are different means to happiness.
Moreover, Mill also identified that there was a “struggle between authority and liberty” saying the tyranny of government needed to be controlled by the citizens. Mill constantly identified that the tyranny of government needs to end, and the only solution to the problem was the courage of the people. Mill emphasized the importance of individuality which he said is what people should appreciate most. Mill was totally against political tyranny and demanded that there must be limits of the government. Everything Mill stood for and believed in originated from his idea of utilitarianism.
Mill believed in the value of social and political change in order to achieve progress and happiness in society. Mill wanted society to succeed without the interference of government and listed the three most important liberties which a citizen can possess. The first liberty was the freedom of thought and emotion, second was the freedom to pursue their wants, regardless of what others thought about it. Finally, the freedom to protest, voluntary protest not forcing anyone to join. He was also a major advocate for women’s rights throughout his entire life.
He was even considered one of the earliest male feminists in the world. He called for women’s equality and making women essentially equal to men. He wanted to see change, big changes. Mill became so involved with women’s rights was because of one influence, his wife. His own wife, Harriet Taylor, was a leading advocate for women’s rights and changed the way her husband thought. Mill acknowledged Harriet’s influence on his thinking in his Autobiography and other works. Mill’s famous work The Subjection of Women, published in 1869, made him extremely open to criticism.
His ideas and views were widely criticized by people of the time. One of the most controversial ideas Mill presented was one about how women are treated in society. Mill said that women are trained to hate men because of how their minds work. The raising of women in society had been to work and serve her husband, and secretly hate him. Mill said that the only way to solve this issue was to change how women are raised, and this would change their minds. This meant, Mill said, that women are capable of equality, but aren’t because of a result of their environment.
Mill never stopped advocating for women until his death, and he was widely praised by women everywhere. Mill could have never been the man he was, if it hadn’t been for the many people and outside factors that influenced his writings and philosophy. His entire professional life spanning over three decades was spent in the service of the British East-India Company from 1823 at the age of 17 to 1858. Throughout his time working there, he rose to the rank of the Examiner in 1856 (he retired from this office in 1858). Some of his influences for writing came from these experiences in a different country.
Moreover, Mill was influenced by the teachings of some of the most well-known historians and philosophers of all time. These include: Jeremy Bentham (the founder of modern utilitarianism), John Locke (considered “The Father of Liberalism”), Adam Smith (a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment), and Aristotle(the famous Greek philosopher). Lastly, and perhaps the greatest influence throughout his entire life, his father James Mill, who at a young age instilled his son with his ideas and thoughts. Throughout his professional life, Mill had published dozens of works both essays and books.
One of his earliest published books was A System of Logic(1843) with which he formulated the five principles of inductive reasoning that are known as Mill’s Methods. Inductive reasoning is reasoning in which the premises are viewed as supplying strong evidence for the truth of the conclusion. Another one of his earliest writings was Principles of Political Economy(1848) which was one of the most important economics or political economy textbooks of the nineteenth century. This book was the one that made Mill known worldwide and his popularity grew from there.
From there he went on to write perhaps his most well known work On Liberty(1859) where he put his theory of utilitarianism into society and how it would benefit society as a whole. Next was Utilitarianism(1861) this classic book defined and defended his idea of utilitarianism. The Subjection of Women(1869) was published with his wife Harriet and called for an end to women’s oppression and pushed for women’s rights. Finally, one of his last published works before he died was his Autobiography(1871) which he gave his own point of view and perspective about his life. Mill died in 1879 in Avignon, France, where he is buried alongside Harriet.
