Mill+background

John Stuart Mill was born in London, England on the 20 May 1806. He is the eldest son of a philosopher and historian, James Mill, who educated him. James Mill hoped to educate his son in a way that would see John Stuart Mill carry on the philosophical thought of his father. It is said that he had learnt Greek by age three and Latin by eight. His father was part of the "Philosophic Radicals", who wanted law and the legal system to be more rational, the economy to play a part in political decisions and more focus on human happiness as opposed to absolute moral considerations. All of this rubbed off on Mill, although he saw problems with their philosophy. In 1820, for one year, Mill studied in France. In 1826, the pressures of education and his father's vision lead him to have a "mental crisis", he got himself out of his depression by reading poetry. Poetry led Mill to question the emphasis of the Philosphic Radicals on rationality over human feelings.

Mill was well-versed and wrote on many subjects including economics, law, maths, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, religion and current affairs.

Mill worked for the East India Company and was financially secure. His job did not take up much time and so Mill was able to keep up a steady flow of writing. Later he was a member of Parliament for one term, although he did not affect any great change.

Mill passed away in 1873. Some claim that he was the greatest philosopher of the 19 century. http://www.iep.utm.edu/m/milljs.htm

John Stuart Mill grew up with the movement of Philosophical Radicalism, made famous by Jeremy Bentham and Mill's father James Mill, which applied utilitarian principles to contemporary political issues, particularly challenging traditional institutions of class. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mill-moral-political/

Mill embraces a conception of the socially constituted subject who is both disciplined and enabled by rights -- this subject is suited to democratic participation. Mill argues for a defense of rights, presuming that individuals are naturally and rightfully best off when they are unencumbered by the interferences of others because individual and social progress depends on freedom. According to Mill rights should be respected because they serve the interests of society, as they advance men and women as progressive beings. (Zivi, 2006, Cultivating Character: John Stuart Mill).