John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873)[10] was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to social theory, political theory, and political economy. Dubbed "the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century",[11] he conceived of liberty as justifying the freedom of the individual in opposition to unlimited state and social control.[12]
John Stuart Mill | |
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![]() Mill, c. 1870 | |
Member of Parliament for the City of Westminster | |
In office 25 July 1865 – 17 November 1868 | |
Preceded by | De Lacy Evans |
Succeeded by | William Henry Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | Pentonville, Middlesex, England | 20 May 1806
Died | 7 May 1873 66) Avignon, Vaucluse, France | (aged
Political party | Liberal |
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Alma mater | University College London |
Philosophy career | |
Era | 19th-century philosophy Classical economics |
Region | Western philosophy |
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Main interests | |
Notable ideas | Public/private sphere, social liberty, hierarchy of pleasures in utilitarianism, rule utilitarianism, classical liberalism, early liberal feminism, harm principle, Mill's Methods, direct reference theory, Millian theory of proper names, emergentism |
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Mill was a proponent of utilitarianism, an ethical theory developed by his predecessor Jeremy Bentham. He contributed to the investigation of scientific methodology, though his knowledge of the topic was based on the writings of others, notably William Whewell, John Herschel, and Auguste Comte, and research carried out for Mill by Alexander Bain. He engaged in written debate with Whewell.[13]
A member of the Liberal Party and author of the early feminist work The Subjection of Women, Mill was also the second Member of Parliament to call for women's suffrage after Henry Hunt in 1832.[14][15]