14 Questions
What was J.S. Mill seeking to achieve in the field of psychology?
To convert psychology into an exact science
What is the primary focus of ethology, according to the passage?
To study individual personalities
What is a key difference between J.S. Mill's and Bentham's versions of utilitarianism?
Mill believed that intellectual pleasures were more important than biological pleasures, while Bentham did not make this distinction
What can be inferred about J.S. Mill's views on human nature and individual differences?
He believed that human nature and individual differences were equally important
What was one of J.S. Mill's causes as a social reformer?
The emancipation of women
What can be inferred about J.S. Mill's approach to social reform?
He believed that social reform should aim to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number
What was the main point of disagreement between John Stuart Mill and his father James?
The reduction of complex ideas to simple ideas
According to John Stuart Mill, what is the process by which individual sensations can combine to form a new sensation?
Mental chemistry
What does the science of human nature, as proposed by John Stuart Mill, have?
A set of primary laws that apply to all humans
What is the relationship between the primary laws of human nature and ethology, according to John Stuart Mill?
Ethology is derived from the primary laws of human nature
What are the primary laws of human nature, according to John Stuart Mill?
The laws of the mind by which sensations cause ideas and ideas become associated
Who are the thinkers that have contributed to the development of the primary laws of human nature, according to John Stuart Mill?
Hume, Hartley, James Mill, and John Stuart Mill
What is the purpose of the primary laws of human nature, according to John Stuart Mill?
To understand general tendencies in human thought, feeling, and action
What does John Stuart Mill predict will happen in the future regarding the primary laws of human nature?
Corollaries will be deduced from the primary laws, allowing for a more refined understanding and prediction of human thought, feeling, and action
Study Notes
John Stuart Mill's Philosophy
- John Stuart Mill disagreed with his father James Mill on the idea that complex ideas can be reduced to simple ideas.
- Mill proposed a process of mental chemistry, where complex ideas can be distinctly different from the simple ideas that constitute them.
Mental Chemistry
- Mill believed that individual sensations can combine to form a new sensation that is different from any of the individual sensations that constitute it.
- This process of mental chemistry allows for the formation of complex ideas that are not mere aggregates of simple ideas.
Science of Human Nature
- Mill believed that a science of human nature could be developed, which would provide a set of primary laws that apply to all humans.
- These primary laws would be used to predict general tendencies in human thought, feeling, and action.
- The science of human nature would not provide a knowledge of how primary laws interact with secondary laws (individual characters and circumstances) to result in specific thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Primary Laws of Human Nature
- The primary laws of human nature are the laws of the mind by which sensations cause ideas and by which ideas become associated.
- These laws are established by the British empiricists, including Hume, Hartley, James Mill, and J.S. Mill.
Ethology and Psychology
- Ethology would be derived from a more basic science of human nature (psychology).
- The science of human nature would discover the universal laws according to which all human minds operate, and then ethology would explain how individual minds or characters form under specific circumstances.
- Psychology provides information concerning what all humans have in common (human nature), and ethology explains individual personalities (individual differences).
Mill's Goals
- Mill wanted to convert psychology from an inexact science into an exact science, explaining more than general tendencies and also explaining the subtleties of individual behavior in specific circumstances.
Social Reform
- J.S. Mill was a dedicated social reformer, advocating for freedom of speech, representative government, and the emancipation of women.
Utilitarianism
- Mill accepted Bentham's general principle of utilitarianism, but his version differed significantly from Bentham's.
- Mill believed that, for most humans, intellectual pleasures were far more important than the biological pleasures we share with nonhuman animals.
Explore John Stuart Mill's disagreement with his father James on the nature of complex ideas and his proposal for a science of human nature. Learn about Mill's concept of mental chemistry and its implications.
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