John Stuart Mill, May 20, 1806 - May 7, 1873, was the greatest philosophical mind of the 19th Century. Starting with Greek at age three and Latin at eight, he’d absorbed most of the classical canon by age twelve - along with algebra, Euclid as well as the major Scottish and English historians. In his early teenage years, he studied political economy, logic and calculus, utilising his spare time to digest treatises on experimental science as amusement. At fifteen - returning from a year-long trip to France, a nation he would eventually call home - he started work on the major treatises of philosophy, psychology and government. All this was conducted under the unrelentingly strict supervision of his father and it took a profound toll. At 20, he nearly took his own life. For my part, I can’t imagine existence devoid of humor as was Mill’s. The funny has always functioned as my safety valve.
© 2024 John Oliver
Substack is the home for great culture