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FROM PREFACE: "THOSE who have done me the honour of reading my previous writings willprobably receive no strong impression of novelty from the present volume; forthe principles are those to which I have been working up during the greater partof my life, and most of the practical suggestions have been anticipated byothers or by myself. There is novelty, however, in the fact of bringing themtogether, and exhibiting them in their connection; and also, I believe, in muchthat is brought forward in their support. Several of the opinions at all events,if not new, are for the present as little likely to meet with general acceptanceas if they were. It seems to me, however, from various indications, and fromnone more than the recent debates on Reform of Parliament, that bothConservatives and Liberals (if I may continue to call them what they still callthemselves) have lost confidence in the political creeds which they nominallyprofess, while neither side appears to have made any progress in providingitself with a better. Yet such a better doctrine must be possible; not a merecompromise, by splitting the difference between the two, but something widerthan either, which, in virtue of its superior comprehensiveness, might beadopted by either Liberal or Conservative without renouncing anything which hereally feels to be valuable in his own creed. When so many feel obscurely thewant of such a doctrine, and so few even flatter themselves that they haveattained it, any one may without presumption offer what his own thoughts, andthe best that he knows of those of others, are able to contribute towards itsformation. Chapter 1. To what extent Forms of Government are a Matter of Choice.ALL SPECULATIONS concerning forms of government bear the impress, more or lessexclusive, of two conflicting theories respecting political institutions; or, tospeak more properly, conflicting conceptions of what political institutions are.By some minds, government is conceived as strictly a practical art, giving riseto no questions but those of means and an end. Forms of government areassimilated to any other expedients for the attainment of human objects. Theyare regarded as wholly an affair of invention and contrivance. Being made byman, it is assumed that man has the choice either to make them or not, and howor on what pattern they shall be made. Government, according to this conception,is a problem, to be worked like any other question of business. The first stepis to define the purposes which governments are required to promote." ... Read more

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It seems proper that I should prefix to the following biographical sketch some mention of the reasons which have made me think it desirable that I should leave behind me such a memorial of so uneventful a life as mine. I do not for a moment imagine that any part of what I have to relate can be interesting to the public as a narrative or as being connected with myself. But I have thought that in an age in which education and its improvement are the subject of more, if not of profounder, study than at any former period of English history, it may be useful that there should be some record of an education which was unusual and remarkable, and which, whatever else it may have done, has proved how much more than is commonly supposed may be taught, and well taught, in those early years which, in the common modes of what is called instruction, are little better than wasted. It has also seemed to me that in an age of transition in opinions, there may be somewhat both of interest and of benefit in noting the successive phases of any mind which was always pressing forward, equally ready to learn and to unlearn either from its own thoughts or from those of others. But a motive which weighs more with me than either of these, is a desire to make acknowledgment of the debts which my intellectual and moral development owes to other persons; some of them of recognised eminence, others less known than they deserve to be, and the one to whom most of all is due, one whom the world had no opportunity of knowing. The reader whom these things do not interest, has only himself to blame if he reads farther, and I do not desire any other indulgence from him than that of bearing in mind that for him these pages were not written.

I was born in London, on the 20th of May, 1806, and was the eldest son of James Mill, the author of the _History of British India_. My father, the son of a petty tradesman and (I believe) small farmer, at Northwater Bridge, in the county of Angus, was, when a boy, recommended by his abilities to the notice of Sir John Stuart, of Fettercairn, one of the Barons of the Exchequer in Scotland, and was, in consequence, sent to the University of Edinburgh, at the expense of a fund established by Lady Jane Stuart (the wife of Sir John Stuart) and some other ladies for educating young men for the Scottish Church. He there went through the usual course of study, and was licensed as a Preacher, but never followed the profession; having satisfied himself that he could not believe the doctrines of that or any other Church. For a few years he was a private tutor in various families in Scotland, among others that of the Marquis of Tweeddale, but ended by taking up his residence in London, and devoting himself to authorship. Nor had he any other means of support until 1819, when he obtained an appointment in the India House.


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From the editor's introduction:
(This is a trade paperback, published by The Library of Liberal Arts, Introduction by Currin V. Shields.)

"The Aubobiography is mainly Mill's account of his unusual intellectual training and achievements, and of his career as a writer and thinker.In this brief introduction there would be no point in relating what Mill tells in his own words.But some features of his life and character which are not fully treated in the Autobiography are of sufficient import to deserver our special attention.

On Mill's own testimony, as well as that of his friends and chroniclers, themost imprtant fact about Mill's life was his strong and lasting - and unconventional - attachment to Harriet Taylor.Thus Mill's life falls into three periods: before, during , and after his intimate association with Mrs. Taylor.
Before he met Harriet, John Stuart Mill was a brillant leader of a talented circle of younger Benthamites known as the "Philosopical Radicals". The group, intentionally patterned after the eighteeneth-century French school of Philosophes, was devoted to promoting Utilitarianism.Almost from the day of John's birth - May 20, 1806 - both his gifted father and his famous patron, Jeremy Bentham, had groome the young Mill to inherit the mantle fo the Benthamite movement...." ... Read more

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Volumes 4 and 5 bring together a rich collection of Mill's writing on politics and the economy over the course of his intellectual career. Volume 4 includes, most significantly, "Essays on Some Unsettled Questions of Political Economy". Here, Mill grapples with issues related to foreign trade and the balancing of government's goal of promoting free trade with its interest in raising revenues from import duties and tariffs. Also included in these volumes are such early essays as 'The Silk Trade' and 'The Nature, Origin, and Progress of Rent' and such later works as Mill's petition on free trade and 'Chapters on Socialism' (posthumously published). ... Read more

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Volume 10 includes such significant essays as Utilitarianism, Auguste Comte and Positivism, and Three Essays on Religion, as well as other works, which clarify Mill's enduring intellectual connection to Jeremy Bentham's utilitarian school. In Utilitarianism, Mill sought to refine utilitarian doctrine by exploring the qualitative differences in different types of pleasures and arguing that higher artistic and intellectual pleasures should be given greater value over lesser types of pleasure. ... Read more

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Another in the popular Guided Tour series designed for the philosophical novice, this book demands students' active participation and helps them develop critical reading, thinking, and writing skills. ... Read more

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Positivism was developed by Auguste Comte (widely regarded as the first sociologist) in the middle of the 19th century. According to Auguste Comte, society undergoes three different phases in its quest for the truth: the theological, the metaphysical and the positive phases. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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A book about one of the great philosophers of education
I read this book for a graduate Mill seminar in Philosophy.Recommended reading for anyone interested in education, philosophy, political science, and history.

John Stuart Mill, 1806-73, worked for the East India Co. helped run Colonial India from England.Minister of Parliament 1865-68 he served one term.

In John Stuart Mill's autobiography, he tells readers how he benefited and suffered from having one of the most unique educational experiences known to humankind.His father, James Mill, was personally involved in the education of John and his other siblingsJohn was a brilliant student who read Greek by the age of three and Latin at eight years old.By the time he matured to adulthood, he was extremely well read.Thus, John received an academically rigorous education at home; however, it was devoid of any interaction and social contact with other children his own age.In adulthood, he developed very strong views about the advantages that universal education would have on improving people's characters, which would lead to fostering social change for the better.In addition, he held very strong beliefs on reforming university curriculum to improve Britain's intellectual class.Mill summarized many of his ideas on education in 1867 after accepting the position as Rector of the University of St. Andrews.In his Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St. Andrews, one of the points that he made in his speech was the responsibility that universities had in building their student's characters.In large measure, the type of curriculum the university taught to its students would in part shape one's character.More importantly, the proper university curriculum would ultimately provide student's with the tools necessary to continue to learn throughout their lives, critically analyze, and if necessary become agents for change in society.He thought that this goal was best served in two ways.First, he believed immersing students in Western civilization's classical works especially the great works of the Greeks and Romans was an important foundation of knowledge.Secondly, he also believed that reading contemporary works of literature was of paramount importance to develop the human character.

As an intellectual himself, Mill was especially interested in the development of the character of gifted people who had the ability to develop a higher intellect than most of their peers.Mill's writings are replete with advice as to what knowledge he thought was most worth attaining to develop one's character and intellect.Looking at what Mill wrote regarding the proper kind of education the intellectually gifted should receive in a university, is where one can then start to ascertain what side he would support in the canon vs. multicultural debate.Although I will use key passages from his writings to illuminate why Mill would ultimately champion the supporters of an increased multicultural curriculum for universities, I also find there is evidence in his writings that he would insist that student's posses a knowledge base in the canon.As an example, in his essay titled Civilization in 1836, which was written when he was 30 years old, one finds Mill's early and life long penchant for studying the classics of ancient Greece and Rome."Such is the principle of all academical instruction which aims at forming great minds.Ancient literature would fill a large place in such a course of instruction; because it brings before us the thoughts and actions of many great minds."

I find the influence that the classic Greek cultural had on Mill is most illuminating.Williams found that Mill's experience with the Greeks was largely comprised of his reviews he wrote for his friend, George Grote; on his multi-volume work, Grote's History of Greece, as well as Mill's own translations of several of Plato's dialogues.To say that Mill was enamored with the classical Greeks would be a gross understatement.In a review of Grote's work Mill penned the following about the Greeks."They were the most remarkable people ever to have existed: in historical literature, oratory, poetry, sculpture, architecture, mathematics, physics, politics, and philosophy they made the indispensable first steps, originating speculation and freedom of thought."Mill's interest in the Greeks was in primarily what they had to contribute to present society in the study of politics and philosophy.He thought the Greeks in these two areas had the most influence both on Western civilization as a whole, and was very useful in character formation in educating both the masses and the intelligentsia.In his review of Grote's works, Mill wrote that, in essence, the Athenian democratic model "afforded the mental tranquility which is also one of the conditions of high intellectual or imaginative achievement."Thus, the Athenian society based on liberty would become the historical foundation that Mill would use to defend his own political as well as philosophical views for the improvement of society.

Some 31 years after writing his essay Civilization, Mill's theories for properly educating citizens and the proper makeup of a university curriculum were brilliantly articulated in his Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St. Andrews in 1867.In this speech, he decried the idea of what universities had become."Universities are not intended to teach the knowledge required to fit men for some special mode of gaining their livelihood.Their object is not to make skilful lawyers, or physicians, or engineers, but capable and cultivated human beings."He understood that only people with a well grounded education in liberal arts could become the intellectual nucleus that was ultimately necessary to lead and improve society.

Mill's book On Liberty makes his most passionate argument for fostering a pluralistic society.In essence, he articulated the argument that people needed to have more freedom than they had to develop their characters.Mill's concern was that if a majority of people in society were invested with unlimited power they could tyrannize the minority.Although On Liberty is a major treatise of political philosophy, it is also recognized more generally as a work of social philosophy--more so than any other work by Mill.It is not just about what kind of government we should have and how it should behave, but also more importantly, it is about what kind of society we should have and how we aught to live together.

Mill makes a cogent argument in chapter two of On Liberty that really gets to the essence of his arguments.In the chapter, he questions whether society should censor new doctrines simply because they do not conform to its current norms or beliefs.He says that essentially there are three things that may be true of new doctrines when they are proposed.1) The doctrine might be true; 2) it might be false; and 3) it might be partially true.Mill provides a variety of reasons why the censorship of new doctrines is a bad idea.He believed that most doctrines contain only partial truths but not the whole truth.As an example, when he examined the history of religion he found this to be the case.Although he saw most laudable teachings in Christianity he thought that Judaism and the Koran also had laudable teachings for humankind that were not found in the New Testament.Thus, for the betterment of humankind he believed the best teachings of all three religions should be combined.I believe Mill's real genius as an intellectual was depicted by his impressive ability to find the little kernels of truth in other people's doctrines and synthesize them.Mill postulated that there were few original thinkers in history, and that most ideas that members of society adopt are really the best bits and pieces of a larger doctrine.

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Mill telling it like it is
I read this book for a graduate Mill seminar in Philosophy.Recommended reading for anyone interested in philosophy, political science, feminism and history.

John Stuart Mill, 1806-73, worked for the East India Co. helped run Colonial India from England.Minister of Parliament 1865-68 he served one term.

In The Subjection of Women Mill first and foremost advocated the need for all humans to improve their characters.He was a firm believer, that all people regardless of their race or sex, had the capacity to learn and improve their characters.In light of this belief, Mill sets the tone for his argument in his opening paragraph of his essay wherein he wrote that the legal means by which the female sex was subordinated to the male sex hindered the character development of all members of society.He was the first male in Britain to champion the cause of women to the extent that he did, and he suffered plenty of criticism and insults for doing so.He was also the first Member of Parliament to introduce a bill in the Commons to enfranchise women.He worked tirelessly throughout his life supporting women's rights with both his pen and his purse.
I find that his essay really turned a spotlight on the many horrors that women endured throughout the history of mankind at the hands of their brutish husbands.No other person's writings illuminated the deprivations that women had endured the way Mill's essay did.No doubt, Victorian sensibilities were shocked when he wrote about the brutality that many women in marriage suffered at the whim of their tyrannical husbands--rape and beatings were at the top of his list.
One of the ideas that Mill gave his fervent support to, and that I greatly admire him for, is the concept that freedom of choice for people is a crucial ingredient in character formation and in improving society and civilization for everyone.This belief led him to argue that marriage as it existed in his time was nothing better than legal and state sponsored slavery.Women had few options in life.If they were married to a tyrant who beat them it was almost impossible to obtain a divorce.Divorce was rare in his day and actually had to be approved by an act of parliament.In addition, if a wife did obtain a divorce, not only would she most likely lose custody of her children, she would also be denied any visitation privileges as well.Mill correctly complained that outside of the home women were left with few options in life.Professional education and career paths were closed to them.Men were fearful of the competition in the workplace women would present if they were allowed employment in professions or trade guilds.Therefore, when it came to workplace opportunities, society left women with few options-- prostitution, or menial domestic work.Thus, Mill saw that the lesser of all evils that women could choose was marriage.Their life in the home was reduced to serving as scullery maids and raising children. Thus, he wrote women treated this way were turned into shrews, which not only made their lives miserable, but also the lives of those around them.For all these reasons Mill believed that the institution of marriage was an impediment; not just to women, but to the progress of civilization as well.Considering that marriage laws had the force of several millennia of religious and societal mores behind it, one can certainly understand why his description of its depravity on humankind won him few friends in "polite" Victorian society.
During his time, a married woman's property automatically devolved to her husband, and Mill correctly saw this as one more inequity against women placed on them by society.Therefore, when he married Harriett Taylor in 1851, a financially secure widow, he remained true to his convictions and wrote a formal renunciation to all of her property in protest against the current law.In addition, while a Member of Parliament he cosponsored the Married Women's Property bill in 1868 to try to change the law.Finally, he sternly rebuked this abomination in his essay by rightly concluding that marriage left the vast majority of women in the unenviable position of "the personal body-servant of a despot" (CW XXI: 285).


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With An Appendix, Containing Notices Of Reports, Discussions, And Publications On The System In France, Geneva, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, The Australian Colonies, And The United States. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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Includes Mill's writings on slavery, subjection of women, the law of libel, punishment and other subjects. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more