Abstract

Our main objective is to establish Harriet Taylor Mill as a philosopher in her own right---as an independent thinker whose work has its own value. Harriet Taylor Mill has been neglected as a figure in philosophy---acknowledged only as the wife of John Stuart Mill. Many of his critics and commentators have been interested in how Harriet influenced her husband's thought. Yet no one has taken time to carefully analyze her views. Before we can understand how Harriet influenced her husband's philosophy, we first need to understand hers. ;In this work, we uncover Harriet's views on human flourishing. Part One provides the historical background necessary to understand Harriet's development as a philosopher. Part Two deals with her thought. Harriet's ideas about flourishing underlie most all of her writings; and the theme of flourishing connects her works in a way that enables us to see her philosophy as a coherent whole. Because her views on flourishing are not explicitly stated, we approach the subject through her discussions on other topics, such as conformity and the condition of women. She believed the women in her society were unable to develop and express their full individuality, and hence were unable to live truly flourishing lives. We show that she believed individuality to be an essential prerequisite for human flourishing, and that her idea of individuality has two important aspects: self-dependence and self-development. We argue that her conception of happiness is eudaimonistic and virtually coextensive with her conception of human flourishing. We show that she believed it was necessary for an individual to achieve and maintain a balance between various opposing qualities in order to flourish as a human being and live a happy life. This position inclines us to regard Harriet as a virtue theorist rather than a utilitarian