James Mill
Scottish historian, economist, and father of John Stuart Mill.
Mill was a founder of the Ricardian school of economics and a proponent of British imperialism justified on utilitarian grounds.[1][2]
Quick Facts
- Era
- Modern philosophy; 19th-century philosophy
- Region
- Western philosophy
- British philosophy
- Scottish philosophy
- Birth name
- James Milne
- Born
- 6 April 1773
- Birthplace
- Northwater Bridge, parish of Logie Pert, Angus, Scotland
- Died
- 23 June 1836
- Place of death
- Kensington, London, England
- Alma mater
- University of Edinburgh
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
According to his son John Stuart Mill's Autobiography, James Mill had by his own studies rejected belief in revelation and natural religion.[3][4] In 1802 he moved to London with Sir John Stuart and devoted himself to literary work.[5] He edited the Literary Journal from 1803 to 1806 and also edited the St James's Chronicle.[5] His History of British India was published in 1818 after twelve years of work, leading to his appointment at India House.[6][7]
His Elements of Political Economy appeared in 1821, and his Analysis of the Phenomena of the Human Mind was published in 1829.[8][9] Isabel Fenton, Mill's mother, arranged for him to attend Montrose Academy and later the University of Edinburgh, where he gained recognition as a Greek scholar.[5] Mill became a minister in the Church of Scotland in October 1789 but achieved little subsequent success in that role.[4] By 1830 Mill had advanced to lead his department, earning £1900 annually.[8]
What the cited sources add
The same source states that Mill regarded himself as a theorist and that virtually everything he wrote had a pedagogical purpose.[7] Amartya Sen's address to the Indian History Congress observes that Mill's History of British India tells us probably as much about imperial Britain as about India, and that Mill disputed practically every claim made on behalf of Indian culture and intellectual traditions.[10] Sen also notes that Mill rebuked early British administrators for taking the natives to be a people of high civilization.[10] John Stuart Mill's Autobiography confirms that his father was educated in Scotch Presbyterianism but rejected revelation and natural religion.[3]
References
- Wikipedia, "James Mill" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ball, "James Mill", Stanford University, 19 June 2014; Chisholm 1911, p. 453; Keynes, "The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money"; Ahir, "A Brief History of Modern India", Spectrum Books (P) Limited, 2018, p. 14; "Explained: Who was Prithviraj Chauhan, the fearless hero of folk legend?", The Indian Express, 25 May 2022; Chisholm 1911, p. 453 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "James Mill" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pitts, "A Turn to Empire: The Rise of Imperial Liberalism in Britain and France", Princeton University Press, 2005, p. 123–126; Pitts, "A Turn to Empire: The Rise of Imperial Liberalism in Britain and France", Princeton University Press, 2005, p. 123–126; Pitts, "A Turn to Empire: The Rise of Imperial Liberalism in Britain and France", Princeton University Press, 2005, p. 123–126; Elkins, "Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire", Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2022, p. 43–44 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "AUTO Chapter 2, John Stuart Mill, Autobiography". facts only, no text reused. laits.utexas.edu
- Wikipedia, "James Mill" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "AUTO Chapter 2, John Stuart Mill, Autobiography" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "James Mill" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chisholm 1911, p. 453 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "James Mill" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mill, "The History of British India", Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1817 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Ball, "James Mill", Stanford University, 19 June 2014. facts only, no text reused. plato.stanford.edu
- Wikipedia, "James Mill" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chisholm 1911, p. 453; Mill, "Elements of Political Economy", Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1821 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "James Mill" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "James Mill: Laissez-Faire's Lenin", Mises Institute, 28 March 2012; Chisholm 1911, p. 453 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Amartya Sen's address given to the Millennium Session of the Indian History Congress. facts only, no text reused. newhumanist.org.uk
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article James Mill (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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