John Stuart Mill Flashcards, test questions and answers

Discover flashcards, test exam answers, and assignments to help you learn more about John Stuart Mill and other subjects. Don’t miss the chance to use them for more effective college education. Use our database of questions and answers on John Stuart Mill and get quick solutions for your test.

What is John Stuart Mill?

John Stuart Mill was an English philosopher, political economist and civil servant who played a major role in the development of the liberal movement during the 19th century. He is widely known for his influential works on utilitarianism which held that actions should be judged based on their utility or usefulness to society as a whole. His social and political thought has had a lasting influence on modern liberalism, democracy, and women’s rights movements around the world.Mill was born into a wealthy family in London in 1806. His father, James Mill, was an eccentric radical intellectual whose beliefs shaped John’s education from an early age. John received an intense and rigorous education at home which included Latin grammar lessons with his father before he even entered school. At fourteen he began studying Greek philosophy – something that would later shape his own ideas about free will, morality and government policy. Mill went on to attend Trinity College Cambridge where he studied moral philosophy under Henry Sidgwick one of Britain’s foremost philosophers of the time period before being elected to Parliament at 21 years old . Once there, Mill quickly became involved in debating various issues such as suffrage reform , welfare provision , labor regulation , religious liberty and public education reform . He also championed women’s rights by introducing bills seeking to broaden access to higher education for women as well as advocating for equal pay between men and women . Throughout his life Miller wrote extensively on many topics including economics , politics , psychology , philosophy , history among others but perhaps most importantly contributed significantly to utilitarianism which held that actions should be judged based not only their consequences but also on any pleasure or pain they might cause individuals within society . This belief system formed much of what we think today as the greatest good for the greatest number principle behind modern day ethical decision making processes . In sum then John Stuart Mill was highly influential thinker who strove throughout his life for greater freedom both personally (as exemplified by his embrace of progressive views) externally (in terms of advocating for improved rights amongst those less privileged). As such it is no surprise that many generations have since looked upon him positively – particularly given how ahead-of-his-time some of Mills thoughts were compared with others contemporary thinkers.