John Stuart Mill

The political philosophy of John Stuart Mill has helped to define the manner in which liberty and autonomy are understood and valued in modern society. A paradigm liberal, J.S. Mill's contributions have shown not merely what liberty is, but also why it is important that it be cherished; like his utilitarian forebears, Jeremy Bentham and father James Mill, J.S. Mill's ideas were intended to be taken as action-guiding principles, not merely as abstract notions. However, J.S. Mill is renowned not only for his unique insight on liberty, but also for his departure from the classic utilitarian philosophy that preceded him. This departure came on the heels of a notorious mental breakdown, sustained by a 20 year old J.S. Mill unable to bear the strain of the grueling educational process that had been orchestrated by his father.

Described in his Autobiography, J.S. Mill's education and upbringing exposed him to an array of material that is shocking in its scope and depth. At the age of three, Mill had already started learning Greek, so that he might begin reading classic Greek philosophy by the age of seven; the dialogues of Plato were tackled at this time, with Latin lessons waiting around the corner, commencing when Mill was eight. By the time Mill reached the age of twelve, he had absorbed a mass of material that would undoubtedly suffice to comprise the average undergraduate's curriculum at a university today. Aside from classic literature, which he read in earnest, Mill a

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