John Stuart Mill

British History in Perspective

by William Stafford

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was one of Britain's greatest philosophers and radical politicians, whose views had a profound influence on thinking on liberty, social policy and gender relations. William Stafford's accessible study outlines Mill's reputation from his lifetime to the present, together with a discussion of the major areas of his moral and political thought.

This book presents him as a consistent and engaged radical politician. In relation to Ireland and India, he argued that British rule could only be justified if it benefited its imperial subjects. While defending democracy, he thought subtly about its problems at a time when it was still an open question, an untried experiment. He advocated a non-paternalistic, non-welfarist form of socialism which combined community with self-reliance. He played a leading role in placing women's issues on the agenda - not only political and employment rights, but also male violence against and sexual exploitation of women, 'sexist' language and the oppressive construction of gender.

Genres: Philosophy, Biography

168 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

William Edgar Stafford was an American poet and pacifist, and the father of poet and essayist Kim Stafford. He and his writings are sometimes identified with the Pacific Northwest.

In 1970, he was named Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position that is now known as Poet Laureate. In 1975, he was named Poet Laureate of Oregon; his tenure in the position lasted until 1990. In 1980, he retired from Lewis & Clark College but continued to travel extensively and give public readings of his poetry. In 1992, he won the Western States Book Award for lifetime achievement in poetry.


Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William...

Reviews

[Gareth]

An excellent little introduction to Mill's life and thought. Coming mainly from a political and historical perspective, Stafford nonetheless works hard to provide a good theoretical discussion of the philosophical themes of Mill's life. As with Fitzpatrick's book (see other review), Stafford provides a sympathetic rereading of Mill in line with the general resurgence in Mill's reputation in the last 30 years or so.

Gareth Southwell is a philosopher, writer and illustrator.