General Introduction

• John Stuart Mill (1806-73) was a British philosopher, economist, and statesman who contributed to logic, ethics, politics, economics, and metaphysics.

• He was the son of James Mill (1773-1836), a friend and follower of Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), the founder of Utilitarianism.

• Mill was educated by his father with help from Francis Place and Jeremy Bentham.

• He became the intellectual leader of the philosophical radicals, who aimed to apply utilitarianism practically in law, economics, and politics.

• James Mill was also a leading figure among philosophical radicals.

• John Stuart Mill was a brilliant and disciplined student.

• After education, he secured a prestigious, well-paid position in the East India Company.

• He was also engaged in extensive economic and political writing.

• Upon retirement, Mill became a member of the House of Commons.

• Though an adherent of utilitarianism, Mill became disillusioned with some practical implications of Bentham’s philosophy.

• He developed utilitarianism in many directions, enriching the liberal tradition of political thought.

• Mill lived in an age of rising democracy, different from Bentham’s focus on law and administration.

• He was influenced by Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America (1835-40), which identified pitfalls of democracy that impressed Mill.

• Mill understood that government is complex and only qualified persons should govern.

• He argued that the political system should respond to the expressed wants of the people and public officials should serve society’s needs.

• Mill was a strong champion of liberty, which is the keynote of liberalism.

• The theme of liberty runs through his political thought, including his revision of utilitarianism, critique of democracy, defense of the welfare state, and campaign against the subjection of women.

• Important works by Mill include:

  • System of Logic (1843)

  • Principles of Political Economy (1848)

  • On Liberty (1859)

  • Considerations on Representative Government (1861)

  • Utilitarianism (1863)

  • The Subjection of Women (1869).

Liberalism

Liberalism refers to a principle of politics which regards ‘liberty’ or ‘freedom’ of individual as the first and foremost goal of public policy. Liberty, in this sense, implies ‘liberation’ from restraints, particularly from the restraints imposed by a tradition-bound society like a feudal state, or by an authoritarian regime. This principle was evolved in the West in late-seventeenth century in order to liquidate feudal privileges of the land-owning class and create favourable conditions for the new entrepreneurial class to enable them to contribute to social progress.