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John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill (1806-1973) was a renowned British philosopher, economist, political commentator and a Member of Parliament (MP) who served in East India Company and advocated for independent rights, progressive social policies and utilitarianism. Belonging to the liberal classical economists, Mill was an unswerving believer of promoting greatest good for the greatest number and giving strength to economic theory, philosophy and social awareness to collectively play a part in politics and shape public policy.

Mill believed in greater freedom for individuals to pursue their own goals as long as these pursuits did not interfere with the interests of others and thereby, propounded the concept of autonomy and freedom of speech in his renowned works, On Liberty and Utilitarianism. He further evaluated the impact of market Capitalism and the resultant impact on society in his work, Principles of Political Economy.

John Stuart Mill is known for his direction towards a fairer society, especially between genders where his greatest works, On Liberty and The Subjection of Women was published, elaborating on his ideologies on human rights specially with respect to women, something which was neglected at the time. The Subjection of Women talked about the idea that women should be treated as different but equal to men and should have an equal right to the opportunities available.

Mill further pushed towards abolishing the rule that men should be the main breadwinner of the family and considered women as an equal part of the political decision-making system. He strongly suggested that not just the individuals, but society should hold the responsibility to protect and help uplift human rights.

It can be said that John Stuart Mill’s influenced and efforts for a changed society have helped to a great extent in creating a more open-minded and a leveled social setup by giving individuals more freedom and creating more opportunities of growth available to both genders.

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