On Socialism (Contemporary Issues (Prometheus)) - Softcover

John Stuart Mill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0879754044 ISBN 13: 9780879754044

Publisher: Prometheus, 1987

Synopsis

In the mid-nineteenth century Mill turned his sharp analytic eye toward the issues raised by social critics such as Robert Owen, Saint-Simon, and others. These early socialists sought to reform, if not render extinct, the capitalism that they believed had wrought social upheaval and discontent. In several preliminary chapters, prepared as a prelude to a full-blown critique of nineteenth-century socialism, Mill seeks to understand the thrust of socialist theory and to appraise the impact of its potential implementation. These chapters, never before published in book form, were originally made public in the pages of the 'Forthightly Review' in 1879.

About this title

About the Author

JOHN STUART MILL was born in London on May 20, 1806, the son of noted Scottish economist and philosopher James Mill, who held an influential post in the powerful East India Company. Mill's natural talent and physical stamina were put to the test at a very young age when he undertook a highly structured and individual-ized upbringing orchestrated by his father, who believed that the mind was a passive receptacle for human experience. His educa-tion and training were so intense that he was reading Greek at the age of three and doing independent writing at six.

Mill's education broadened considerably after 1823 when he entered the East India Company to commence his life's career as his father had done before him. He traveled, became politically involved, and in so doing moved away from the narrower sectar-ian attitudes in which he had been raised. His ideas and imagina-tion were ignited by the views of such diverse personalities as Wordsworth, Saint-Simon, Coleridge, Comte, and de Tocqueville.

During his life, Mill wrote many influential works: System of Logic (1843); Principles of Political Economy (1848); On Liberty (1859); The Subjection of Women (1861); Utilitarianism (1863); Examination of Sir William Hamilton's Philosophy (1865); and Autobiography (1873).

As a defender of individual freedom and human rights, John Stuart Mill lives on as a nineteenth-century champion of social reform. He died on May 7, 1873.

Edition details

• Publisher: Prometheus
• Publication date: 1987
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0879754044
• ISBN 13: 9780879754044
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 146