John Stuart Mill Essay ⋆ Education Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

Although it was not his professional career, John Stuart Mill wrote widely and influentially on philosophy, supporting the rights of the individual against the rights of society. Today, he is considered an important thinker in the utilitarian school.

Mill was born in London, England. He was taught by his father, who in turn had been much influenced by the utilitarian philosophy of Jeremy Bentham. Mill was given a classical education, focusing on Greek, Latin, and mathematics. From an early age, Mill also learned philosophy. He was influenced by the Romantic philosophy of Wordsworth as well as the French philosopher Auguste Comte.

Mill worked until his retirement as an administrator for the East India Company, writing philosophy and lecturing in his spare time. In retirement, he ran successfully for Parliament. His best known treatise is On Liberty. Here he addresses the balance between the rights of societies and the rights of individuals and asserts that only in cases of necessity should the rights of the individual be curtailed. In his writing and lectures, Mill also examined logic and mathematics as well as social issues such as women’s suffrage, political reform, and economics.

Mill never wrote a unified treatise on education, but in his 1867 inaugural address at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, Mill outlined his views on education in liberal societies. Although his definition of education encompasses everything that might have an impact on human development, his focus is on society working to positively affect those factors. In Mill’s view, parents are largely responsible for structuring the education of their children. Mill asserted an obligation of societies to educate their children, but was not specific as to particular ways this might be achieved.

Bibliography:

Capaldi, N. (2004). John Stuart Mill: A biography. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Garforth, F. W. (1980). Educative democracy: John Stuart Mill on education in society. New York: Oxford University Press.

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