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Mill
John Stuart Mill investigates the central elements of the19th century philosopher’s most profound and influentialworks, from On Liberty to Utilitarianism and TheSubjection of Women . Through close analysis of his primaryworks, it reveals the very heart of the thinker’s ideas, andexamines them in the context of utilitarianism, liberalism and theBritish empiricism prevalent in Mill’s day.
• Presents an analysis of the full range of Mill’sprimary writings, getting to the core of the philosopher’sideas.
• Examines the central elements of Mill’s writings ineasily accessible prose
• Places Mill’s work and thought within the largercultural and social context of 19th century Britain
• Illustrates the continued relevance of Mill’sphilosophy to today’s reader
• Presents an analysis of the full range of Mill’sprimary writings, getting to the core of the philosopher’sideas.
• Examines the central elements of Mill’s writings ineasily accessible prose
• Places Mill’s work and thought within the largercultural and social context of 19th century Britain
• Illustrates the continued relevance of Mill’sphilosophy to today’s reader
- GenresPhilosophy
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 25, 2021
I was not sure about this book at first, but after a chapter it started to flow well. It provides a comprehensive overview of Mill's philosophy.
The book has been written by 2 authors. The first three quarters by Donner discusses Mill's moral and political philosophy. The remaining quarter, by Fumerton is on Mill's logic, epistemology and metaphysics. The first part is thorough and covers all of Mills main ideas in reasonable detail. I found Donner's style a little dry, but it is not overly academic and is pleasant enough to read. Donner sees the flaws in some of Mill's arguments, but generally seems to want to convince the reader of the value of Mill rather than give a really critical review. Fumerton's style is a little more colourful and I enjoyed reading it more, but his coverage is more sketchy. Unlike Donner's part you do not come away with a full understanding of Mill's position on epistemology, logic and metaphysics, but nevertheless it is a good summary. He takes a more critical stance than Donner - but perhaps this is simply because there is more to be critical about!
If you want a comprehensive review or detailed introduction to Mill, I think this could be a pretty good place to go.
2021 update:
I've just re-read this book eight years after my first read. I don't think my view has changed much. It is a good introduction to Mills thought, but is very much an introduction. It contains some biographical information at the start as Mill is one of those philosophers whose biography, mainly because of his quite odd childhood, is often quoted. The latter part of the book by Fumerton is better than the first part, which is a shame as no one is really very much interested in Mill's metaphysics or epistemology nowadays.
The book has been written by 2 authors. The first three quarters by Donner discusses Mill's moral and political philosophy. The remaining quarter, by Fumerton is on Mill's logic, epistemology and metaphysics. The first part is thorough and covers all of Mills main ideas in reasonable detail. I found Donner's style a little dry, but it is not overly academic and is pleasant enough to read. Donner sees the flaws in some of Mill's arguments, but generally seems to want to convince the reader of the value of Mill rather than give a really critical review. Fumerton's style is a little more colourful and I enjoyed reading it more, but his coverage is more sketchy. Unlike Donner's part you do not come away with a full understanding of Mill's position on epistemology, logic and metaphysics, but nevertheless it is a good summary. He takes a more critical stance than Donner - but perhaps this is simply because there is more to be critical about!
If you want a comprehensive review or detailed introduction to Mill, I think this could be a pretty good place to go.
2021 update:
I've just re-read this book eight years after my first read. I don't think my view has changed much. It is a good introduction to Mills thought, but is very much an introduction. It contains some biographical information at the start as Mill is one of those philosophers whose biography, mainly because of his quite odd childhood, is often quoted. The latter part of the book by Fumerton is better than the first part, which is a shame as no one is really very much interested in Mill's metaphysics or epistemology nowadays.
Displaying 1 of 1 review