Utilitarianism: John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill was a political economist that believed in trying to make the division between classes smaller through mainly taxing inheritance and shorter working hours for middle and lower class. John Stuart Mill was also very big into Women's Rights and fighting for Women's equality. John Stuart Mill is the godson of Jeremy Bentham and son of James Mill, who are both huge figures in the economic world. John stuart Mill was born in 1805 at 13 Rodney Street in the Pentonville area of London. John Stuart Mill grew up in London. As he was growing up his father James Mill began to educate John Stuart Mill by learning Greek at age three and and Latin at age 8. He continued to his education by his father as he was growing up by studying world

He thought the root of the problem was due to the rigorous education his father stressed to him at such a young age. Due to depression Mill thought back on his life’s work and began to change theories he believed in before his depression stage. Mill believed in Jeremy Bentham's theory and utilitarianism but instead of focusing on the negative Mill wanted to focus on the positive. Mill thought fighting the negative with more negative pointless. Mill now focused on how the best parts of utilitarianism could be used to create a new society. John Stuart Mill wrote many different books. Some including, A System of Logic published in 1843, On Liberty published in 1859 and Utilitarianism published in 1861. In On Liberty Mill focused on supporting individuals morals and economic freedom from the government. In Utilitarianism Mill focused on using a lot of Jeremy Bentham’s theory, but changing the misconceptions. Mill states a big concept he believes in, in his book “ Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and the privation of pleasure.” Mill believes that the government should prevent people from harming others. Mill Advocated for public education, labor unions, inheritance taxes and short work days. Mill believed that progressive taxation penalized those who were in the middle or lower class, who worked hard and saved more money. Mill refers it as “a mild form of robbery”, on these people that work hard to achieve what they earned and not have anything done with the people that just get money handed to them through inheritance. As far as the government went John Stuart Mill believed in a middle ground between laissez-faire capitalism and socialism. Mill wasn't that big into government