J. S. Mill (1834–1837): Logic and Politics

Abstract

Writing to d’Eichtal in 1829, Mill remarked of his fellow Englishmen,

To produce any effect on their minds, you must carefully conceal the fact of your having any system or body of opinions, and must instruct them on insulated points, and endeavour to form their habits of thought by your mode of treating single and practical questions .²

During the early 1830s, he concentrated on ‘practical questions’, yet also seemed progressively to ignore the untheoretical bias of the English mind. The reassertion of Benthamite truths intensified. After the passing of the Reform Bill, he expounded in the press a theory of Radicalism based upon a Benthamite philosophy of mind. However, as the fortunes of the Radical Party, and political conditions changed, Mill’s eclecticism reappeared. His political writings became more impassioned as he dealt with current events, yet they were also deliberately individualistic as he set about the urgent task of redefining the philosophy of reform.

No sagacious man will long retain his sagacity, if he live exclusively among reformers and progressive people¹