John Stuart Mill
English philosopher, political economist and MP (1806–1873); a founding philosopher of liberalism.
At a glance
Main ideas
The harm principle, Free speech, Higher and lower pleasures …
See all 5Books to start with
A System of Logic, Principles of Political Economy, On Liberty …
See all 5Connections
Harriet Taylor Mill, Jeremy Bentham and 3 others
See all 5
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Mill was an English philosopher, political economist and politician.
- He formulated the harm principle and argued for individual freedom against unlimited state and social control.
- He developed Jeremy Bentham's utilitarianism, arguing that some pleasures are higher than others.
- He worked for the East India Company from 1823 to 1858 and sat in Parliament for the City of Westminster from 1865 to 1868.
- He was the second MP, after Henry Hunt, to call for women's suffrage.
Why it matters
- The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has called him the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century, and On Liberty still frames arguments about free speech and state power.
Key facts
- Born
- 20 May 1806, Pentonville, London1
- Died
- 7 May 1873, Avignon, France, of erysipelas1
- Education
- Taught at home by his father, the philosopher James Mill, with advice from Jeremy Bentham; Greek from age three1
- East India Company
- From 1823 to 1858; Examiner of Indian Correspondence from 18561
- Member of Parliament
- City of Westminster, Liberal Party, from 1865 to 18681
- Lord Rector
- University of St Andrews, from 1865 to 18681
- Married
- Harriet Taylor, 21 Apr 1851; she died in 18581
- Religion
- Agnostic and sceptic1
Main ideas
-
The harm principle2
Power over a person against their will is justified only to prevent harm to others.
-
Free speech2
No opinion should be silenced: it may be true, may hold part of the truth, and challenge keeps a truth alive.
-
Higher and lower pleasures1
Intellectual and moral pleasures outrank physical ones: better Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.
-
Equality of the sexes3
Women's legal subordination is wrong and holds back human improvement; they should have the vote.
-
Induction1
In A System of Logic, laws are found by observation and induction and must be checked against experience.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
-
A System of Logic1
His account of scientific method, including Mill's Methods of induction.
-
Principles of Political Economy1
His treatise on economics.
-
The harm principle and the case for free thought and individuality.
-
Utilitarianism1
The canonical statement of his ethics.
-
The case for equality between women and men.
Connections
Related
- Harriet Taylor MillHis wife and collaborator; he called On Liberty their joint production
- Jeremy BenthamAdvised on his education; Mill's utilitarianism builds on Bentham's
- Thomas CarlylePersonClose friends in the 1830s until ideological differences ended it in the 1840s
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us
The line under a date fills as time passes: empty when new, then one equal share each for a day, a week, a month and a year. For episodes and other items it is full at 2 years; for "last checked", at a year. A striped line means the date is known only to the month or year.