19世紀ビクトリア朝を代表する自由主義哲学者、経済学者、政治理論学者ジョン・スチュアート・ミル（1806-73年）の生涯と業績を概観します。若きミルがベンサムや父で功利主義者のJ・ミルから受けた影響、1827年に陥った「精神の危機」とこれを支えたハリエット・テイラーとの関係などを時系列で振り返ります。『論理学体系』『経済学原理』『自由論』などの代表作をその他の著述の中に位置づけて論じるほか、宗教、世俗主義、産児制限など争点の多いトピックに対するミルの立場を考察します。(cf. On Liberty, Utilitarianism and Other Essays, Principles of Political Economy and chapters on Socialism, and Autobiography from the Oxford World's Classics)
 

• Offers an introduction to John Mill's key works and themes
• Contextualizes Mill's ideas and emphasizes their evolution
• Acknowledges the more controversial aspects of Mill's ideas
• Draws out Mill's relevance to the present

     
John Stuart Mill (1806-73) is widely regarded as the leading liberal philosopher, economist, and political theorist of nineteenth century Britain. In his lifetime he was best known for his System of Logic (1843) and the Principles of Political Economy (1848). Today Mill is chiefly identified with On Liberty (1859), perhaps the definitive text of modern liberal statement of its subject, and probably the single most important work of modern political thought. Mill was also the first major male feminist thinker of the period (author of The Subjection of Women, 1869), and the first, as an MP, to introduce a bill for female enfranchisement before Parliament.
  
This Very Short Introduction offers a brief survey of the life and key ideas of this most influential Victorian British writer. Moving chronologically, Gregory Claeys outlines the philosophical background out of which Mill developed, chiefly through the ideas of Jeremy Bentham and James Mill. He demonstrates how Mill's personal life, especially his 'mental crisis' of 1827, and his relationship with Harriet Taylor, were integral to his intellectual development. Throughout Claeys considers Mill's key works set within the context of his lesser writings and correspondence, and discusses the more controversial aspects of his thought concerning religion, secularism, and birth control.