Mr. Mill's Struggle The Victorian Age encompassed the fruition of the middle class due to the Industrial Revolution that was driven by the greed and hardworking efforts of a British society; this society had never seen so much material wealth. Unfortunately the strife and greed during the Industrial Revolution created a new human "mind set" that led to skeptical beliefs concerning all aspects of humankind's purpose and existence. This motivation flooded not only from the Aristocracy to the working class poor, but also influenced the art and creative literary of that time. In the book entitled The Longman Anthology of British Literature by Henderson and Sharpe, the work entitled " Autobiography, Chapter 1" by John Stuart Mill, reveals his social isolation and "nose to the grindstone" ethics that he discloses as leaving him almost barren of feelings inside. Mr. Mill definitely reveals through this writing, his personal and profound similarities concerning the "tunnel vision" of hard-working ethics and strict social structure created during the Victorian Age. The Victorian Age and its industrialization brought about great change in the values of its people, and influenced John Stuart Mill as well. The middle class in particular had abounding opportunities to create new wealth. They were prone to "vicious profiteering" (1033) of their fellow man which was created by their "immense ambitions" (1033), that brought about an empathetic but disassociation with the lower class laborer. Mr. Mill as well, had difficulty in personal relationships due to his hard working "habit of analysis" (1146), which he believed had tended to "wear away" his feelings (1146), toward personal relationships and others around him. Victorians including Mr. Mill were additionally influenced by the strict social rules of the era. Victorians believed in strict social conduct, almost puritanical to the outside world, regardless of the private "improprieties"(1035). By comparison, Mr. Mill had also been brought up during this era in a very strict social environment created by his father. Mr. Mill further carried on the "practices" learned during childhood and reveals his acknowledgment that his "character" is "irretrievably analytic" or lost without "associations or pleasure . . . of human desire"(1147). The Victorian Age influenced millions of people during a time of great change.
He is was total opposite of Metternich. Mill’s “On liberty” essay was about the individual liberty. To Mill’s, the only important thing is the happiness of the individual, and such happiness may only be accomplished in an enlightened society, in which people are free to partake in their own interests. Thus, Mills stresses the important value of individuality, of personal development, both for the individual and society for future progress. For Mill, an educated person is the one who acts on what he or she understands and who does everything in his or her power to understand. Mill held this model out to all people, not just the specially gifted, and advocates individual initiative over social control. He emphasizes that things done by individuals are done better than those done by governments. Also, individual action advances the mental education of that individual, something that government action cannot ever do, and for government action always poses a threat to liberty and must be carefully
Firstly, Mill strongly supports the idea of schooling of minors, and urges that the state mandates parents to educate their children (Mill, [1859]
Mill would probably go right to the word “morally” and would likely say, “Should we base all our laws on morals”? Then he might say: “if you believe that then, whose morals should we base them on”? All people’s morals are not t...
Mill, John S. The Basic Writings of John Stuart Mill. New York, New York: Modern Library, 2002. Print.
For Mill, the freedom that enables each individual to explore his or her own particular way of life is essential for a generous and diverse development of humanity. The only source of potential within society to further continue human development is the spontaneity or creativity that lies within each individual. Mill has a utilitarian view on freedom. He was especially keen on individual liberty because it allowed the greatest measure of happiness. His concern is not to declare liberty as a natural right but to rather set out the appropriate constraints within ‘Civil or Social liberty’. Civil liberty is defined as the limit society can exert its legitimate power over each individual and social liberty has much to do with a political principle
In the On liberty, Mill also highlights the aspect of individuality as one of the elements of well-being. John Stuart Mill points out the inherent value of individuality, since individuality is by definition the thriving of the human person through the higher pleasures. He argues that a safe society ought to attempt to promote individuality as it is the pre- requisite for creativity and diversity. Therefore Mill concludes that actions themselves don’t matter, rather the person behind the action and the action together are valuable. However on the limits to the authority of society over the individual, generally he holds that a person should be left as free to pursue his own interests as long as this does not harm the interests of others. In
Mill made a distinction between happiness and sheer sensual pleasure. He defines happiness in terms of higher order pleasure (i.e. social enjoyments, intellectual). In his Utilitarianism (1861), Mill described this principle as follows:According to the Greatest Happiness Principle … The ultimate end, end, with reference to and for the sake of which all other things are desirable (whether we are considering our own good or that of other people), is an existence exempt as far as possible from pain, and as rich as possible enjoyments.Therefore, based on this statement, three ideas may be identified: (1) The goodness of an act may be determined by the consequences of that act. (2) Consequences are determined by the amount of happiness or unhappiness caused. (3) A "good" man is one who considers the other man's pleasure (or pain) as equally as his own.
In John Stuart Mill’s autobiography A Crisis in My Mental History: One Stage Onward, Mill opines that when a person sets happiness as an expectation or life goal, he or she is normally left discontent and unsatisfied. He argues that the easiest way to feel happy is to not focus on trying to be happy. Furthermore, Mill states that there are plenty of things in life that can lead to our enjoyment and make us blissful if only our goal is not to find happiness from them. He closes by stating that this is a great life philosophy for anyone who is sensible. John Stuart Mill is correct because trying to find happiness leads to discontent but bliss comes to a person when they are not focused on finding happiness.
By the example of Eloi and Morlocks, he warns of Capitalism and its consequences to mankind. This vision which is presented in “The Time Machine” shows or rather forecasts the results of the social split between the leisurely wealthy upper class and the working class, especially in the Victorian England.
John Stuart Mill, in his essay The Subjection of Women, makes a daring exclamation about the position of women in society. He wrote this piece with the hope of opening other's eyes to the same conclusion he felt all of his life, in regards to equality.
Mill's moral theory is not accurately described. It remains recognizably utilitarian. According to Skorupski, he believes that the “mental, moral, and aesthetic stature”4 is capable for human nature, according to Mill. Utility has a place when Mill states that the greatest of interests is not normally classed “under the head of interest.” 5
Explain why Mill distinguishes between higher and lower pleasures and assess whether he achieves his aim or not.
...hard to maintain his hedonist view, that pleasure is the only happiness. His insertion of quality into the evaluation of value seems to be introducing a criterion of evaluation other than pleasure. That is, higher pleasures are more desirable and valuable because of something besides pleasure, not solely because of pleasure. As a result, it appears that Mill is not revising hedonism, but is rather abandoning it.
...and the scope of their immediate milieux what he describes as ‘the social setting that is directly open to his personal experience and to some extent his willful activity. Mills work addresses the social problems we as individuals face in contemporary American society. When, in a city of 100,000, only one man is unemployed, that is his personal trouble, and for its relief we properly look to the character of the man, his skills, and his immediate opportunities. But when in a nation of 50 million employees, 15 million men are unemployed, that is an issue, and we may not hope to find its solution within the range of opportunities open to any one individual. The problem and the range of possible solutions require us to consider the economic and political institutions of the society, and not merely the personal situation and character of a scatter of individuals.”
As you all know we are all different in some way or another. We all have different lifestyles, customs, skills, experiences, backgrounds, and personalities which makes every individual different, but have you ever wondered how the world would be if everyone thought of the same ideas, copied the actions of others, wear the same type of clothes, or even walked and talked the same way? Would this be a satisfying and happy lifestyle, will this bring about social progress? Or should we add uniqueness and originality in order to help everyone to progress in life? In the book “On Liberty”, Mill believes that we need individuality in order to be able to have social progress, if we don’t we will be in a standstill and remain during the time of the Stone Age. My report will focus on the reasons Mill believes individuality is essential for social progress.