John Stuart Mill: A Biography

by Nicholas Capaldi

Nicholas Capaldi's biography of John Stuart Mill traces the ways in which Mill's many endeavors are related and explores the significance of his contributions to metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, social and political philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and the philosophy of education. Capaldi shows how Mill was groomed for his life by both his father James Mill and Jeremy Bentham, the two most prominent philosophical radicals of the early 19th century. Mill, however, revolted against this education and developed friendships with both Thomas Carlyle and Samuel Taylor Coleridge who introduced him to Romanticism and political conservatism. A special feature of this biography is the attention devoted to Mill's relationship with Harriet Taylor. No one exerted a greater influence than the woman he was eventually to marry. Capaldi reveals just how deep her impact was on Mill's thinking about the emancipation of women. Nicholas Capaldi was until recently the McFarlin Endowed Professor of Philosophy and Research Professor of Law at the University of Tulsa. He is the founder and former Director of Legal Studies. His principal research and teaching interest is in public policy and its intersection with political science, philosophy, law, religion, and economics. He is the author of six books, including The Art of Description (Prometheus, 1987) and How to Win Every Argument (MJF Books, 1999), over fifty articles, and editor of six anthologies. He is a recent recipient of the Templeton Foundation Freedom Project Award.

Genres: Philosophy, Biography, Politics, Biography Memoir

458 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Matthew Linton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most intellectual biographies strive to either introduce new documentary evidence about an individual or to interpret existing documentary evidence in a novel way. Nicholas Capaldi's biography of John Stuart Mill accomplishes neither. Capaldi, drawing primarily from Mill's autobiography, his published correspondance, and secondary sources, reduces Mill's oeuvre to the influence of his father, James Mill, and his long-time romantic interest and eventual wife Harriet Hardy Taylor. Echoing many of the stereotypes of Mill promulgated by his political opponents, Capaldi's Mill is given little intellectual autonomy and is seen more as the product of his upbringing and age than the great philosopher behind "On Liberty" and other seminal works.

Perhaps the most difficult part of analyzing Mill's life is to come to terms with his own "Autobiography" and in this Capaldi's biography is an abysmal failure. Capaldi frequently fails to critically engage with Mill's image of himself, especially when it came to the influence of Harriet Hardy Taylor on his intellectual production. Mill was an extremely modest individual, which Capaldi goes through pains to illustrate (23-28), and often attempted to credit his own breakthroughs to others. On the subject of women's rights Mill was decades ahead of his time call for women to have equal voting rights in the mid-19th century. Mill frequently credited his support of women's suffrage to Taylor, but it remains unclear whether she actually induced him to adopt the position or if his respect for her caused him to publicly support a political position he was already favorably disposed towards. I buy the argument that Taylor humanized Mill and cultivated feelings in him that lay dormant due to an intellectually regimented childhood; however, Capaldi seems to overstate her intellectual contributions to Mill's career.

I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. It is too scholarly to appeal to casual readers or those looking for an introduction to Mill's philosophy and it is simply to rigorous enough to appeal to scholars looking for a critical analysis of Mill's writings. For those looking for an introduction to Mill, I would recommend his "Autobiography" and also his most famous essay "On Liberty". His intellectual roots can be found in the work of the English Radicals especially Jeremy Bentham's writings on utilitarianism and David Ricardo's economic treatises (not to mention the writings of his father James Mill).

[Stephan Leemen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hij had kort na zijn dood een standbeeld moeten krijgen tegenover het Britse parlement. Maar het obituarium in de Times (een Tory krant) was zo giftig dat zelfs Gladstone zijn steun voor het project introk. Mills grootste 'misdrijf' was zijn campagne voor vrouwenrechten. Zijn voortdurende gevecht tegen maatschappelijke privileges en het status quo deden hem zijn leven lang botsen met de conservatieve elite. Het beeld kwam er toch, maar aan Temple, een beetje verstopt in een parkje aan de Thames.
Capaldi's boek is een (zeer) uitvoerige biografie van John Stuart Mlll, maar vooral een grondige studie van zijn werk. Hij probeert aan te tonen dat de alles doordringende idee bij Mill, zijn bijzondere streefdoel, de autonomie van iedere mens is. Zijn economisch denken, zijn streven naar een liberale cultuur, zijn feminisme en sociale opvattingen, waren allemaal op dat ene doel gericht, aldus Capaldi. Het boek is vaak zware lectuur, vooral waar de lezer om de oren wordt geslagen met Victoriaanse grootheden die hier zo goed als onbekend zijn, maar uiteindelijk is het een lijvige ode aan één van de grootste romantici van Groot-Brittannië.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Capaldi makes the case that Mill incorporated key claims of the German Enlightenment into many parts of his work. For this, I found the book helpful and possibly an antidote to other takes on Mill. However, he goes much further and ends up saying that on lots of key doctrines, Mill is a closet Hegelian! At points, the book is exasperating: the author frequently contradicts himself, races through complicated territory without providing any textual support or close analysis, and is very sloppy in terms of actually doing philosophy (e.g. the author's utter incomprehension of the compatibilist position on free will). And the book just gets worse at it goes on, especially in the sections on On Liberty. Still there is fair bit in here that is over and above what is in Mill's Autobiography. Just don't let this book dictate anything like your final picture of Mill's thought, and it can be worth your while.

[Justin Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather confusing book for me. I could easily be wrong, but it felt like Capaldi was trying to prove that JS Mill was a forerunner of the American Enterprise Institute or something--basically, a conservative liberal. But the fact that Mill synthesized the 'conservatism' of Coleridge and the liberalism of Bentham has been a commonplace for some time (see: Williams and, before him, Leavis). Capaldi spends a *lot* of time on Mill on Tocqueville, which is fine, but not especially compelling or interesting. Mill has insights into 'human nature' that means we all really want 'liberal culture,' meaning free market capitalism (see, e.g., 267, 283). What on earth is going on here? I want Mill, not Milton Friedman.

Capaldi is right that there should be a good biography of Mill. But this one is a bit too parti pris to be that good biography.

[barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

brak zabawy

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book after reading that Mill's love for Harriet Taylor allowed him to break with his father's utilitarianism. Capaldi offers an intellectual biography, that is to say, he reviews most of what Mill wrote and tries to put into historical context. Mill's emphasis on autonomy comes through loud and clear. I got a much better idea of what that emphasis meant in a nineteenth century context. Mill, for example, unlike many of his upper class countrymen ; sided with the North in the American Civil war and was a staunch feminist. Capaldi provides a subtle discussion of Mill's relationship with Taylor and tries hard to assess her influence on him. The most confusing part of the book was the discussion of the influence of Coleridge and German Romanticism. I didn't manage to finish the book. I got into the 1860s after Harriet's death, but as Mill assumed a public role and his ideas were refined, rather than created, I decided to move on to other things.

[E.A.M. Van · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dit is geen prettig boek, geschreven door een econoom die er als historicus bij beunt. Onderop de stapel ermee!