James Mill: A Biography

by Alexander Bain

Who was James Mill (1773 - 1836)? What was his legacy to British society and culture? The achievement of this Scottish political philosopher, economist and historian has been overshadowed by that of his son, John Stuart Mill, but as Alexander Bain (1818 - 1903), himself a philosopher and empiricist, shows in this biography, published in 1882, Mill's range of interests was remarkable. He wrote on education and psychology, and developed theories on political economy and the need for parliamentary reform.

Mill was also critical of the history of British colonialism (his three-volume History of India is reissued in this series), and argued for religious tolerance, as well as collaborating with Jeremy Bentham as a proponent of utilitarianism, the philosophy which sought 'the greatest happiness of the greater number'. Bain places the facts of Mill's life in the context of the remarkable changes undergone by British society and culture in this period.

466 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1882

About the author

Alexander Bain was a Scottish philosopher and educationalist in the British school of empiricism and a prominent and innovative figure in the fields of psychology, linguistics, logic, moral philosophy and education reform. He founded Mind, the first ever journal of psychology and analytical philosophy, and was the leading figure in establishing and applying the scientific method to psychology. Bain was the inaugural Regius Chair in Logic and Professor of Logic at the University of Aberdeen, where he also held Professorships in Moral Philosophy and English Literature and was twice elected Lord Rector of the University of Aberdeen.

Reviews

[Amy]

For a contemporary perspective on J.S. Mill, quite useful. Otherwise, one of those books that, if it weren't for the topic, would be buried by history. It would be amusing indeed to see his reaction to modern women's opinion about their so-called 'mental' inferiority. I'm prejudiced against him there, though, so in more fairness... I think this is a fairly good representation of the way people approached Mill and his wife during his lifetime.