John Stuart Mill 1806-1873

I found it very refreshing to read the section of the text of John Stuart Mill after having previously read about the roles of Victorian ladies and gentlemen. Mill seemed to be ahead of his time and offered up for those who wish to see reform in the current class constraints of the Victorian Period. There is no doubt that the views of Mill were outrageously radical during his time. “Mill advocated sexual equality, the right to divorce, universal suffrage, free speech, and proportional representation” (513). It is no surprise that Mill had these radical ideas because his grandfather was the founder of Utilitarianism. “Mill went on to become the era’s leading philosopher and political theorist, an outspoken member of parliament, and Britain’s most prestigious proponent of women’s rights” (514). I really enjoyed reading Mill because of his political involvement. Mill was home-schooled and learned much from his father at an early age. Mill was wise beyond his years and as a result he had a nervous breakdown at age 20. He found comfort in reading poetry, particularly that of Wordsworth.

John Stuart Mill furthered his father and grandfather’s pursuit of a Utilitarian government, that is one that is the best form for the most people. I took political theory last semester and I wish that we would have covered Mill because he seems to me to be a very enlightened individual. The closest political theorist I can relate him to is John Locke. They both seem to argue for the good of the common man, though they lived in two different time periods. I like how Mill questions the society in which he lives in and how he champions the rights of individual freedoms despite the fact that some his writings were quite unpopular at the time. I also enjoy how Mill acknowledges arguments from his opposition and then goes on to refute these arguments in a genius manner. As I read the works of Mill, I couldn’t help but think of a famous quote from Patrick Henry saying, “give me liberty or give me death”. I think that this is a quote that Mill would agree with.