John Stuart Mill

Question 1

Book- History of British India

Answer 1

James Mill, father of JS mill , also a close associate of Jeremy Bentham

Question 2

Who is JS mill

Answer 2

JS Mill is considered one of the greatest political philosopher of 19 century along with Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche. Mill was also an economist, logician, civil servant(worked for East India company) and parliamentarian( served as MP in British parliament)

Question 3

Nature of JS mill political thought

Answer 3

On the basis of his political thoughts, he is considered as liberal utilitarian, champion of liberty, reluctant Democrat, liberal feminist and cooperative socialist.

He combined beautifully the spirits of enlightenment, romanticism and socialism in his political thoughts

Question 4

Books written by JS Mill

Answer 4

A system of logic, 1843
Principles of political economy 1848
The essay on liberty, 1859
Utilitarianism, 1863
Considerations on representative government 1861
The subjection of women, 1869, co-authored with his wife, Harriet Taylor, Mill

Question 5

Who said this ,” the only purpose, for which power can be rightfully exercise over any member of a civilised community against his will is to prevent harm to others

Answer 5

JS mill , regarding his Harm principle

Question 6

Who developed the theory of utilitarianism?

Answer 6

Jeremy Bentham

Question 7

Utilitarianism according to Jeremy Bentham

Answer 7

An act is morally right if it tends to promote happiness or pleasure and wrong if it tends to produce unhappiness or pain, not just for the performer of the action but also for everyone else affected by it.

Question 8

How is JS Mill’s utilitarianism different from Jeremy Bentham’s or the classical utilitarianism.

Answer 8

Mail belongs to utilitarian school of thought. But he differ significantly from classical utilitarianism of Bentham.:

1. He differentiated between higher and lower pleasure.
2. He seems to have differentiated between happiness and pleasure, equating happiness to some select higher pleasure, which enables self realisation.

By making a difference between pleasures , he actually die looted, the very essence of utilitarianism. The beauty of utilitarianism was that it did not require any other standard, or any other helps in evaluating pleasures, all pleasures very quickly, valuable and desirable.

Mill made utilitarianism, more moral, ethical and humane and therefore more acceptable as basis for policy decisions .

Question 9

JS Mill was a liberal feminist. Explain

Answer 9

In his “ subjection of women” He diagnosed the reasons behind women suppression and suggested to end the subjection by having perfect equality between men and women , marriage as spousal friendship and equal partnership and change in education system , training, re formation of opinion about gender , change in social habits and family life.

He advocated for legal rights for women in marriage (like right to property and inheritance, custody of children, et cetera, ) Voting rights and equal and fair opportunity in education, profession, employment, political participation and access to public life.

Question 10

JS mill idea of liberty

Answer 10

J S. Mill’s defence of liberty was more innovative and interesting. He linked individual liberty to societal and civilisational progress . Mill gave utilitarianism logic in defence of liberty and individual autonomy. Mill asserted that liberty creates the condition in which an individual can attain optimum intellectual flourishment and therefore liberty increases the intellectual capital of the society. Availability of more intellectual resources by guaranteeing liberty would help civilisational progress.

Mil further argued that individual autonomy, help personal growth and self realisation. It allows diversity in culture and character. Such diversity makes the society more resilient and act as a defence against changing environment and context. Individual autonomy increases intellectual diversity in the society which help survival and growth of society in a similar way as genetic diversity have survival and growth of a species

We can see that Mill defended both liberty and individual autonomy by applying his utility principle.

Question 11

Three liberty is identified by JS Mill

Answer 11

Liberty of thought ,opinion and expression

Liberty of action

Liberty of self realisation ( individual autonomy)

Question 12

Two sources of threats to individual liberty according to JS Mill

Answer 12

First from state or government

From The mass Society ( the industrial and urban society)

For Mill the threat from society or community was much greater than that of state or government.

Question 13

How did JS Mill defend liberty of thought and opinion

Answer 13

For any opinion ‘O’ which is the candidate for suppression ,’O’ must be either true, false or partially true.

If O is true , society’s interest are harmed by suppressing it because society would not be a benefited by the new and true idea and will be left with false one.

If O is false , it helps maintain the vitality of existing truth. Hence even if the false idea help maintain the liveliness of existing idea. Therefore, even if O is false , it need not be suppressed.

If O is partially true, it helps develop the whole truth. New opinions as half truths Help synthesise the complete truth and therefore Help intellectual progress of civilisation. Therefore even if O is partially true, it need not be suppressed.

Question 14

How did JS Mill defend liberty of action?

Answer 14

In defence of liberty of action, JS Mill gave the HARM PRINCIPLE- the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercise over any member of a civilised community against Israel is to prevent harm to others.

JS Mill further separated self regarding from other regarding actions -
Self regarding actions are those impact of which is only on the individual doing that act and which does not violate his obligation to anyone . This as per his harm principle , self regarding actions need not be interfered with . Whereas other regarding actions can be interfered by the state/govt .

Question 15

How did JS Mill defend liberty of self realisation or development of self character or individuality

Answer 15

Mill asserted that each one is entitled to personal liberty, expressed through experiments in living, develops unique personality, character and self culture.

Each individual is entitled to decide his or her own conception of good life.

Diversity of character in culture provides the engine of productive tension that drives a society or nation forward.

It is same as genetic diversity protect survival of the species .

Idiosyncratic , nonconforming, unique, and strong, personality, or defence, against the wave of conformity and homogenisation by the mass Society.

Hence, individuality and liberty to develop ones character is good for individual and for the society .

Question 16

was JS Mill a liberal socialist

Answer 16

Yes

Question 17

Why is jS mill called a reluctant democract ?

Answer 17

Democracy allows political participation and encourage free thinking and hence most suited for liberty and Individual autonomy .Participation in politics and public affairs helps freethinking, moral and intellectual development, individuals and hence useful for societal progress.
Popular(direct democracy )is best in doing so but - direct democracy require small states whereas larger states are required for civilisational Prosecco progress. Also direct democracy may turn into ruled by unskilled and non-experts and tyranny of the majority.

Hence, the best compromise is REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT, in which people choose their representative who govern in control the government .

Question 18

JS mill’s version of representative democracy

Answer 18

Mill’s representative democracy was two staged shifted democracy:
1st shift- people, Don rule directly there representatives rule. People merely vote and choose their representative.

2nd stage- only few selected representatives govern , remaining control, the government by asking questions, debate, and keeping watch and holding government accountable.

To guard against the populism and majoritarianism inherent in democracy. He suggested proportional representative(PR) by single transferable vote(STV) and plural voting system in which educated and meritorious voters are given more voting rights and a second chamber of Parliament consisting of experience, leaders and professionals.


Js mill asserted that democracy is suitable only for the civilised people who have attained a level of intellectual maturity, and not for at any uncivilised or barbaric nation , who require benevolent despotism till they become civilised

Question 19

JS mill’s view on suffrage and electoral system

Answer 19

He advocated extension of voting rights to working class and women.

He disliked, first past the post system which in his view misrepresent and dis enfranchise the voters.

He favoured proportional representation by single transferable vote also called hare system of proportional representative .

Suggested plural voting system in which educated and meritorious citizen are given voting rights. They have more than one vote. Thus, he rejected political equality, one person one vote, principle.

Mil advocated of second chamber of Parliament model in Roman Senate, consisting of experience and distinguish leaders and professionals such as judges, civil servants et cetera

The second chamber would be to check and balance on popular representative body by a prudent and wise body .

His views on electoral system, plural voting system and second chamber further established him as sulking and reluctant Democrat.

Question 20

Other name of proportional representation by single transferable vote

Answer 20

Hate system of proportional representation

Question 21

According to JS Mill, what is the chief institution of subjection of women?

Answer 21

Marriage has been the chief institution of subjection of women-

By law , married women had no right to property, inheritance , legal person right and custody of children after separation from her husband.

Marriage denotes vicious power, relationship of dominance and subordination . Women were assigned unvaried domestic chores, were denied opportunity outside family life. They also face domestic oppression and physical violence.

Women had no identity social, standing, economic security outside marriage

Preparation for and participation in such an unequal partnership, caused women to develop constrain and submissive personalities which was taken as their natural inferiority .

Thus, condition of women in married life was of legalised bondage, worse than slave .

Question 22

Mills view on women subjection

Answer 22

Women subjection by men might have its origin in physical superiority of men, but thereafter it became a social tradition, custom and universal social practice

There is no logical or rational basis of women subjection

Subjection was mainstreamed and maintained through the institution of patriarchy, marriage and family and also by manufacturing consent of the woman by education, training and socialisation

Thus , women themselves accepted their inferiority is real and natural and became the means to which women subjection was made a social habit and tradition.

Question 23

Mill’s suggestion to end women subjection

Answer 23

Perfect equality between men and women in all respects- legal, social, political and economic. Between men and women, there should not be any power or privilege on one side,nor a disability on the other.

Mary should be taken as Paozal friendship and equal partnership . Married women should be given legal right to property in Heritance. Custody of children free choice between domestic city and wage employment outside family.

Women should get voting rights, equal and fair opportunities in education, profession and employment, political participation and access to public life

Women should have total liberty for intellectual flourishment , self-development ,freedom of choice

Subjection of women to be ended not only by law, but also by proper education, training opinion, changes in family life and social habits .

Question 24

Critics of JS mill’s subjection of women

Answer 24

Susan okin
Jean bethke elstain
Mary Lyndon shanley
Carole pateman

Question 25

Who were the minorities according to js mill

Answer 25

To him, the educated intellectual freethinking people were the minority. He did not directly advocate for the rights of religious, ethnic, racial and linguistic minorities. His minorities were rising middle class of professionals in 19 century, Europe,(the bourgeois class)

For him who ever held opinion different from the generally accepted mainstream opinion in society is a minority .

Question 26

JS mill as champion of minority rights

Answer 26

Mil’s concerned through out on liberty is to preserve and protect the rights of minority, those who think freely and hold opinion different from the mainstream opinion in the society or community. To him minority opinion were vital for moral and intellectual progress of the society. Diversity of character and culture makes Society resilient in the fast changing environment and circumstances.

JS Mill was uncomfortable with direct and and un check democracy which in his view may turn into tyranny of the majority.
Therefore he rejected direct democracy, support a representative democracy, governance ruled by experts, proportional representation, electoral system, rural voting, to give more voting rights to educated citizens and second chamber of Parliament consisting of experts, experienced leaders and professionals. All the suggestion were directed towards protection of rights of the minority against the wave of majority in the democratic regime.

Mill’s On liberty and Consideration on representative government, are specifically intended towards protection of minorities against the majority .

Question 27

Who termed TYRANNY OF YHE MAJORITY

Answer 27

Js mill

Question 28

JS mill as qualified socialist

Answer 28

He was influenced by socialist thoughts of Saint Simon , Charles Fourier and Robert Owen .

He referred himself as a qualified socialist in his autobiography.

He supported worker’s participation in mana Heneng , distribution of profit between workers and managers, decent wages to workers and worker’s cooperatives.

He advocated distribution of lands of big landlords to landless tillers, diffusion of wealthy , laws for limit on inheritance, inheritance and wealth tax, labour unions and decent wages to workers .

He was big supporter of cooperatives

For him without economic freedom , political freedom is meaningless.

State should intervene in the market to ensure economic justice and equal distribution of wealth/income.

He supported a welfare state which takes care of old, disable , unemployed and marginalised.

But he was against the central olanninb , wholesale nationalisation of private property , totalitarian tendencies of socialism , and Erfurt to
Homogenise people in the socialist and communist society .

He was also against bringing up socialism thorough social revolution. He was in favour of gradual change without the interference of state or govt.

Fir him, ideal socio economic system was one which combined maximum of individual liberty with maximum of economic justice