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Born
Middlesex, England. (Pictured: his father James Mill at a young age) -
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Career with the British East India Company
At age 17, Mill began his employment within the examiner's office of the East India Company and was promoted to assistant examiner five years later. Eight years beyond that he was in charge of relations to the Indian states. In 1856 he became chief of the examiners office though the company itself would dissolve only two years later, despite his efforts to prevent it from doing so. -
"System of Logic" First Published
This work emphasized that scientific progress relied on observation and induction. It introduced “Mill’s Methods”, or five types of induction describing ways to identify causes. While rooted in logic and mathematics, the concepts here have application towards other studies like history and psychology. An overview of the five Mill's Methods Mill, John Stuart. System of Logic. London, John W. Parker, 1863. -
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Marriage to Harriet Taylor
Harriet Taylor was a strong influence on Mill, especially with regards to women's rights. -
"On Liberty" First Published
This publication promoted the ideas of individual liberty over the coercive power of the state, and it set out some of the earliest and most famous rationales for freedom of speech. The work uses “utilitarianism” as the foundation of its arguments - a topic he would expound on in a future book. Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty. London, 1859. -
"Utilitarianism" First Published
This essay defined utilitarianism as an ethical system and attempted to clarify some of the arguments against it. In very basic terms, the idea is that we should strive to create as much happiness as possible for as many people as possible. Critics of the approach thought happiness was a difficult thing to define or measure, and an over-emphasis on happiness might lead to a more hedonistic society. Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. London, Parker, Son and Bourn, 1863. -
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Lord Rector at the University of St. Andrews
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Member of Parliament (Westminster)
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"The Subjection of Women" First Published
This essay by Mills, still grounded in his utilitarian approach, is one of the earliest calls to feminism and women’s suffrage. Mill was convinced that the world would be better off once it began to allow and include female participation in matters of society. He later wrote of the strong influence that his wife Harriet and her daughter Helen had on the formulation of the ideas within the essay. Mill, John Stuart. The Subjection of Women. London, Longman, Green, Reader, and Dyer, 1869. -
Died
Avignon, France (Age 66)
