Three Essays on Religion

by John Stuart Mill

Overview

The Design argument is wholly grounded on experience. Certain qualities, it is alleged, are found to be characteristic of such things as are made by an intelligent mind for a purpose. The order of Nature, or some considerable parts of it, exhibit these qualities in a remarkable degree. We are entitled, from this great similarity in the effects, to infer similarity in the cause, and to believe that things which it is beyond the power of man to make, but which resemble the works of man in all but power, must also have been made by Intelligence, armed with a power greater than human. -from Theism One of the foremost figures of Western intellectual thought in the late 19th century, John Stuart Mill offered up examinations of human rights, morality, personal and societal responsibilities, and the striving for individual happiness that continue to impact our philosophies, both private and political, to this day. In these three essays, not published until 1874, a year after the author's death, Mill explores concepts of religious belief that have shaped modern atheism and humanism for more than a century. In "Nature," "The Utility of Religion," and "Theism," Mill criticizes idealized and uncritical belief in a benevolent and omnipotent deity, challenges traditional assumptions for the existence of God, and challenges believers to come to a new understanding of the purpose of religion that puts the needs of people first. Powerfully and compellingly argued, this is essential reading for those wishing to understand the basis for today's critiques of religion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605205427
Publisher:	Cosimo Classics
Publication date:	12/01/2008
Pages:	268
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.61(d)

About the Author

Lou Matz is Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy at the University of the Pacific, Stockton, California.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

List of Illustrations

Introduction

John Stuart Mill:A Brief Chronology

A Note on the Text

Three Essays on Religion

• Introductory Notice
  “Nature”
  “Utility of Religion”
  “Theism”

Appendix A: Mill’s Statements on Religion in Other Writings

1. From Autobiography (1873)
2. “Enlightened Infidelity” (1847)
3. “Religious Sceptics” (1851)
4. From Diary (1854)
5. From On Liberty (1859)
6. From Letter to Alexander Bain (1859)
7. From Utilitarianism (1861)
8. From Letter to Arthur Greene (1861)
9. From Letter to Arthur Greene (1861)
10. From Auguste Comte and Positivism (1865)
11. From An Examination of Sir William Hamilton’s Philosophy (1865)
12. From Letter to Henry Jones (1868)
13. From Letter to Charles Friend (1868)
14. From Letter to Richard Marshall (1868)
15. From Letter to Thomas Dyke Acland (1868)

Appendix B: Early Religious Influences

1. From Jeremy Bentham, An Analysis of the Influence of Natural Religion on the Temporal Happiness of Mankind (1822)
2. From James Mill,“The Church, and Its Reform,” The London Review (1835)

Appendix C: Contemporary Reviews of Three Essays on Religion

1. From John Morley,“Mr. Mill’s Three Essays on Religion,” The Fortnightly Review (1875)
2. From Charles B. Upton,“Mill’s Essays on Religion,” The Theological Review (1875)
3. From Alexander Bain, John Stuart Mill:A Criticism with Personal Recollections (1882)

Appendix D: Religion and Science

1. From Charles Darwin, The Autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882 (1887)
2. From T.H. Huxley,“Agnosticism” (1889)

Further Reading

Editorial Reviews

[The] essays, along with the extensive supplementary material in this volume, provide the basis for exciting and detailed analysis by student and scholar alike, the sort of comprehensive, contextual work in the history of philosophy that brings old texts into contemporary life. … The book provides the tools for exceptional scholarship and teaching regarding Mill’s views on religion, and for that we can all be grateful.” — Julie C. Van Camp, California State University (Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews)

“Mill’s Three Essays belongs on any shortlist of the towering classics of secularist thought; but it has never yet been given its due. We must therefore be cheered by its appearance in a neat and friendly volume that every one of us would want to have on our bookshelves. And the fact that the essays are supplemented in this edition by a splendid introduction from Louis Matz, and a generous selection from Mill’s other writings on religion, is yet another motive for good cheer.” — Jonathan Rée, New Humanist

“Mill thought deeply and impartially about religion, and his writings are as significant now as they were in his own day. This outstanding edition combines scholarship with accessibility. With its excellent introduction and useful appendices, it is the ideal text for students, teachers, and advanced researchers.” — Roger Crisp, St. Anne’s College, Oxford

“Lou Matz brings together the essays “Theism”, “Nature” and the “Utility of Religion” that Helen Taylor published after Mill’s death. In Mill’s essays, little of Christianity survives save its exhortation to do good. This volume also contains writings that influenced Mill (e.g., by Jeremy Bentham), discussions of religion found elsewhere in his works, and Victorian reactions to the essays. All this, together with a superb introduction! This volume would make a useful text for students and will certainly become indispensable for the scholar.” — Fred Wilson, University of Toronto

“John Stuart Mill’s Three Essays on Religion deserve closer attention than they generally receive from students of philosophy and religion. This edition will serve to stimulate interest in the essays themselves and the light they shed on Mill’s philosophy as a whole. Lou Matz has provided a substantial introduction that helpfully situates the essays in the context of Mill’s life and thought. The appendices are especially welcome since they bring together materials that are not conveniently available elsewhere, including other writings of Mill on religion and extracts from influential works of the period.” — Alan Millar, University of Stirling

“Lou Matz’s edition of Mill’s Three Essays on Religion offers significant ‘value added’ over the text of the essays themselves. Matz’s introduction is detailed and informative, yet accessible and engaging enough for students of all levels. Matz also includes passages on religion from Mill’s other works and his correspondence, reviews from contemporary readers of the Essays, and discussions of the relation between religion and science from Charles Darwin and T. H. Huxley. Thus this one volume contains all of the materials necessary for a comprehensive and contextual understanding of Mill’s views on religion.” — Dale E. Miller, Old Dominion University

From the Publisher