He died in Avignon, France at the age of 66.Īs Mill mentions in the book, at the time he was writing (the mid-19th century), the status of women was undergoing profound change. As an MP, he campaigned enthusiastically for female suffrage. In the late 1860s, Mill served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for City and Westminster. Harriet had a profound influence on Mill’s work, including his advocacy of women’s rights, as did Mill’s stepdaughter, Helen Taylor. In 1851 he married his close friend of 21 years, Harriet Taylor, after her husband died in 1849.

He defended British imperialism in India but disliked the system of direct rule by the British monarchy, which ultimately led him to return to England. After studying at University College London, Mill embarked on a career as a colonial administrator in India. He was able to survive this period in part by finding renewed inspiration through the poetry of William Wordsworth. However, at the age of 20, he underwent a crisis when he realized that fulfilling this goal would not bring him personal joy, and he contemplated suicide. From an early age, Mill determined that the purpose of his life was to use his education and intellect to help construct a just, happy society.

James ensured that his son had a highly rigorous education that included receiving instruction from famous utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham. John Stuart Mill was the son of James Mill, a Scottish philosopher who worked in the fields of history, economics, and political theory.

The subjection of women book