John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill observed in his Autobiography that he was a rare case in nineteenth-century Britain because he had not lost his religion but never had any. He was a freethinker from beginning to end. What is not often realized, however, is that Mill's life was nevertheless impinged upon by religion at every turn. This is true both of the close relationships that shaped him and of his own, internal thoughts. Mill was a religious sceptic, but not the kind ofperson which that term usually conjures up. The unexpected presence and prominence of spirituality is not only there in Mill's late, startling essay, 'Theism', in which he makes the case for hope in God and in Christ. It is everywhere—in his immediate family, his best friends, and his vision for the future.It is even there in such a seemingly unlikely place as his Logic, which repeatedly addresses religious themes. John Stuart Mill: A Secular Life is a biography which follows one of Britain's most well-respected intellectuals through all of the key moments in his life from falling in love to sitting in Parliament and beyond. It also explores his classic works including, On Liberty, Principles of Political Economy, Utilitarianism, and The Subjectionof Women. In this well-researched study which offers original findings and insights, Timothy Larsen presents the Mill you never knew. The Mill that even some of his closest disciples never knew. This is John Stuart Mill, the Saint of Rationalism—a secular life and a spiritual life.

By placing Mill's philosophy in other perspectives, in the context of moments ranging from its genesis to its last writings, with new associations, Gregory Claeys offers the reader a brilliant reconstruction of this philosophy, allowing him to find all of it the power. The inevitable repetitions of themes throughout the book are ultimately instructive and even necessary for this brief introduction, contributing to the clarity of the text and the presentation of the subjects treated., This is a little gem of a book ... what an outstanding revisionist case Larsen has made! The brilliance of the author of The Slain God shines again., Larsen convincingly demonstrates that from his early years to his death, 'Mill's life was impinged upon by religion at every turn.', ...this is a well-structured and generally convincing piece of revisionist biography which demonstrates that the 'saint of rationalism', famous for his passionate attachment to liberty and logic, was a much more spiritual and devout figure than is usually recognised, For me, Mill remains not a covert theist but an open-minded agnostic. But in true Millian spirit I recognize that Larsen has made an impressive case for the opposing view.

Timothy Larsen is McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.