John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor Mill
On liberty and who gets left out
In the dedication of On Liberty, the Enlightenment liberal J.S. Mill writes “To the beloved and deplored memory of her who was the inspirer, and in part the author, of all that is best in my writings…” His dedication is a poignant reflection of his counterpart, H.T. Mill, a woman who often lost in the conversation surrounding democratic theory. The pair, though, have had a lasting impact on democratic theory.
Who Were They?
J.S. Mill
Also known as John Stuart Mill; he was an English philosopher known for his utilitarianism and liberalism.
During his life, he produced numerous works, some of which will be discussed later. Arguably, though, his most famous is On Liberty.
He was concerned with society’s ability to stifle the individual. This, in turn, serves as the groundwork for much of his political philosophy.
J.S. Mill had mixed feelings on democracy and, similar to Plato, viewed this system of governance as having potential to “[drift] into ‘collective despotism.’”
H.T. Mill
Also known as Harriet Taylor Mill; she was an English philosopher in her own right and known for her advocacy for women’s rights.
It’s difficult to ascertain exactly all the work she produced but her husband credited her with “intellectual influence” on many of his works. Some, in fact, argue that she had no influence on J.S. Mill and he exaggerated her influence.
One of her most famous works, however, is “The Enfranchisement of Women” in which she argues that a woman’s right to vote is equal to a man’s.
While these two produced multiple works, the two we will focus on are On Liberty and The Subjection of Women. In part, this is because On Liberty reflects an important focal point in democratic theory and The Subjection of Women both reflects individuals who have been left out of democratic theory and serves as an intellectual predecessor for more modern feminist thought.
On Liberty
Power can be exercised over others, against their will, so long as it is done with the intention of preventing harm from coming to others. The caveat here, however, is that this power can only be exercised against those “human beings in the maturity of their faculties” (pg. 14)
Individuality is crucial to society and its progress (pg. 66). When a society stagnates, the culprit – according to Mill – is their lack of individuality.
Free discussion is also important for society. While society can and, in some cases, should reject certain ideas they should not “feel called on to make his life uncomfortable” (pg. 73).
Mill was also concerned with governance being done via bureaucracy, which would inevitably harm liberty (pg. 103-4).
The Subjection of Women
This essay is meant to set up a theory regarding equality for women and that their continued subjection hinders human progress (pg. 1).
Mill takes issue with those who argue that this subjection is due to natural causes; in other words, some argue that it is natural for women to be dominated by men (pg. 182).
Though women can learn the arts, their learning is somewhat for naught. Women are unable to gain money or social influence via this (pg. 133-5). They are subjected to being amateurs and cannot be on equal grounds with men because of this.
If we removed “sex [as] a disqualification for privileges”(pg. 178), society would reap the benefits and leads to an “increase of the general fund of thinking and acting power, and an improvement in the general conditions of the association of men with women” (pg. 178)
These two works are vital to understanding democratic theory. In part, On Liberty serves as a reminder of democracy’s potential for harm and mirrors previous work by Greek philosophers and his contemporaries, such as de Tocqueville (Chapter 7). The Mills’ have further influenced individuals like Noam Chomsky, amongst others. The Subjection of Women, meanwhile, serves as a continuation of Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women and a place for both criticism and a powerful reminder that women (amongst other groups) have been left out of the conversation, including but not limited to J.S. Mill’s own wife.
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