This class will be on January 9th. Having just finished "An invitation to Pain" by Adler, I decided to make this reading a "painful" one. We will be reading Volume 6 pages 1-47 John Stuart Mill's "Childhood and Youth" from Autobiography. (Chapters 1-3 on the link). DO NOT TRY TO READ IT IN ONE SITTING. You will want to start on it very soon and read 3-4 pages a day. I especially want you to focus and understand pages 23-35. You will probably have to look up quite a few words (I did - I almost gave up on it a couple of times, but I am glad I didn't) and re-read a lot of paragraphs.
------------------------------
Here are some ideas to help you study this reading:-Understand the following terms: Deism, Stoic, Epicurean, Cynic, Jeremy Bentham and Benthamism, Utilitarianism, English liberalism.
-Seek answers to some of the following questions:
- Throughout your reading, it would be helpful to have a paper with 4 columns - write on top: Books/disciplines, methods, events/experiences, people - then take notes under those headings of the things that influenced his education
- What books and disciplines did Mill study from ages 0-8? 8-12? In his teens?
- What were his methods of study during those times?
- What were important events/experiences in his education?
- Who were important influences on him? (people) Why?
- How did his father feel about religion? (pg 23-27) Why? What WERE his moral convictions? (pg 27-29)
- How do you feel about these moral convictions? What do you agree or disagree with? Why? (this question would make a very interesting paper! I hope someone takes it on!)
- What was his view of tolerance? Of how to educate?
- What did Mill adopt as his "religion"? Why? (pg 36-38)
- How did his "profession" help him or hinder him in his education? (pg 45-47)
