Acta Oeconomica Pragensia 2007, 15(5):5-31 | DOI: 10.18267/j.aop.82

On "The Morality of Nature" and "The Dark Lantern" of Human Spirit (Several notes on the essays of John Start Mill)

Martin Hemelík

Martin Hemelík, Katedra filosofie, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze. hemelik@vse.cz

Several years before his death John Stuart Mill wrote three essays. His stepdaughter Helen Taylor edited these interesting essays in 1874 in London. The article deals with some main problems which J. S. Mill analyzed in his texts, for example: the analysis of the concept of nature, considerations about the human nature and the role of understanding in the human knowledge, the problem of human rational and right action, the utility of religion (first of all of "religion of humanity"), the question of Naturam sequi as the fundamental principle of morals etc. To considerate or to reflect on these ideas is an excellent oportunity for author of article to think about weak and strong points of Mill's philosophical doctrine as well as to speculate about the importance of such problems in recent thinking. In author's opinion it is very good to take under considerations an older philosophical ideas for contemporary development of philosophical investigations and also it is the best celebration of philosopher's anniversary. (Two centenary of the birth of J. S. Mill was in 2006.)

Keywords: Mill, nature, human nature, reason, morality, religion, human action

Published: August 1, 2007  Show citation