Mill

On class the tutor introduced the background of Mill's life. Mill did never enter any school and university. He was educated by his own father who wanted to cultivate him to be a great assessor of utilitarian. His father, James Mill, is good friend of Jeremy Bentham, so young Mill is very familiar with Bentham but he did not actually learn Bentham's utilitarian until he is 18 years old because in early life his father mainly made him learn ancient philosophy and maths. He has a very good female friend who very regularly went to meet him and talk philosophy with him but only about philosophy. No evidence indicates they have any sexual relationship, which is really amazing but it is not hard to understand in Mill's case because he and his female friend both believed that sexual activity is just animal impulse and the philosophy is the genuine taste for human being.

There are many kinds of interpretation of Mill's philosophy. Many of them believe Mill as an pure utilitarian but some think that Mill is an indirect utilitarian. But the tutor asserts there are two Mills in his life long works, one utilitarian in Utilitarianism, another liberalism in On Liberty. It's interesting.

What topic will I work on for the midterm paper? I need to make decision as early as I can. What about the difference between Mill's argument and Locke's argument on religious toleration? Is there any critique I can raise? Or, is there any other insight about their insight on toleration? Both of them indeed gave some most influential attitudes about religious toleration and also liberty, but what I concern most here is whose argument is more relevant or valuable to the contemporary debates on this issue. So, I need to clarify what is the central concern in contemporary discussion. I believe nobody really concern the religious is still the core question before philosophers but we also have reason to believe that their argument on religious toleration still have value for us. One of the most relevant topic is that of toleration of liberal.