John Stuart Mill

Sarah Lowery

CoPhi #9

Installment One  

    John Stuart Mill was the eldest son of James Mill and Harriet Barrow. James Mill was well known during this time as a historian, economist, political theorist, and philosopher. James met Jeremy Bentham in 1808 after seeking financial assistance. Due to their many shared opinions, they became great friends. James Mill took on many of Bentham's principles and did his own work with some of them. This relationship strongly influenced John Stuart Mill's upbringing.

    John was born in London, England on May 20, 1806. He was the firstborn of nine children. As a child, Mill was not allowed to play with children his age. James Mill shared John Locke's belief that a child's mind was a blank slate. He believed if you brought a child up in the proper way, he or she could become a genius. This was the driving force for Mill's extensive education. His father believed that playing with other children was a waste of valuable time and that the other children's habits would rub off on him. So, instead of playing with other children, Mill spent most of his days in his father's study or on walks with him. His father taught him everything from simple history and algebra to foreign languages and politic theories. But James Mill did not use the same approach to teaching that we think of today. He used Socrates' method of cross-questioning in order to teach his son to think for himself, rather than accepting everything at face value. At age 3 he began studying ancient Greek. By 8 he understood Plato's dialogues in original language and started studying Latin and algebra. And by 12, he had developed a "passionate and sophisticated" interest in science. In his early twenties, Mill was already considered one of the most brilliant thinkers of his time. Today he called the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the 19th century.
    It seems James Mill's experiment was successful, his son had become a genius, but not without sacrifices. His childhood was in no way unhappy or abusive, but due to his strange childhood, John Stuart Mill remained lonely and distant throughout the rest of his life.
     My second installment will include John Stuart Mill's works and adult life.

    Sorry for the late post. Accidentally posted to wrong blog.