Harriet Taylor Mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harriet Taylor Mill
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Harriet Taylor Mill, unknown painter, National Portrait Gallery, London
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| Born |
Harriet Hardy
8 October 1807 |
| Died | 3 November 1858 (aged 51) |
| Occupation | Philosopher |
| Years active | 1831–1858 |
| Spouse(s) |
John Taylor
(m. 1826; died 1849) |
| Children | 3, including Helen Taylor |
Harriet Taylor Mill (born Harriet Hardy; 8 October 1807 – 3 November 1858) was an important British thinker and a strong supporter of women's rights. She wrote many pieces that can be found in The Complete Works of Harriet Taylor Mill. Some of her writings are also in The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill, especially in volume XXI.
Contents
Early Life and First Marriage
Harriet Hardy was born in 1807 in Walworth, south London. Her parents were Harriet and Thomas Hardy, who was a surgeon. Harriet was taught at home. From a young age, she was interested in writing poetry and had "free thinking" ideas. This led her to join a Unitarian church led by Rev. William Fox. Unitarians believed in thinking for themselves and questioning old ideas.
In 1826, when she was 18, Harriet married John Taylor. They had three children: Herbert, Algernon, and Helen Taylor.
Meeting John Stuart Mill
In 1831, Harriet met John Stuart Mill, another famous thinker. Some people believe that the leader of Harriet's Unitarian church arranged their meeting. John Taylor invited Mill to dinner because Harriet was interested in women's rights, just like Mill. Harriet was already writing poetry and was keen on social reform. She had also written a long history of printing for the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Around the time she met Mill, she began writing about women's rights, ethics (ideas about right and wrong), and marriage.
Harriet and Mill quickly became close friends. Harriet liked that Mill treated her as an equal in their discussions. About a year and a half later, something caused Harriet to pause their friendship. Mill wrote her a strong letter, saying he did not want their path to be separated. She agreed, and they soon became even closer. In 1833, they exchanged two long essays called On Marriage.
Ideas on Marriage and Equality
In these essays, Harriet Taylor and Mill discussed the ethical questions about marriage, separation, and divorce. Harriet believed that to improve the lives of women, society needed to stop controlling feelings and relationships. She criticized how women were only educated to get married. She felt that once married, women often stopped living a meaningful life.
Harriet also pointed out the unfairness of marriage. She argued that women were expected to be innocent about marriage before it happened. She believed that marriage should allow for divorce, asking, "who would wish to have the person without the inclination?"
She said that in her time, there was no equality in marriage. Men had all the pleasure, and women had all the difficulties. But she believed that if men and women were truly equal, everyone's happiness would be much greater. She ended her essay by encouraging Mill to teach others that higher kinds of enjoyment bring greater happiness. This idea later became important in Mill's famous essay, Utilitarianism.
In late 1833, Harriet's husband agreed to a trial separation. She went to Paris, and Mill joined her there. Even though she was happy with Mill, Harriet felt bad for her husband and the public shame he might face. She decided to return to London and her husband. However, by the summer of 1834, Harriet was living in her own house in Keston Heath. Mill often visited her there, and they traveled together, sometimes with her children, especially in France, for the next two decades.
Marriage to John Stuart Mill
After John Taylor died in 1849, Harriet and Mill waited two years before getting married in 1851. Harriet was careful not to cause more public talk than they already had. Mill wrote a "Declaration on Marriage" that showed his belief in "perfect equality" between husband and wife.
Harriet wrote several essays, including some with Mill, about domestic violence and The Enfranchisement of Women. This last piece was published in 1851.
Her Own Work and Influence
Harriet began publishing her writings when she was expecting her third child, Helen. Helen also grew up to be a strong supporter of women's rights, especially for education and the right to vote. Harriet wrote for the Unitarian magazine Monthly Repository and the Society for the Distribution of Useful Knowledge.
Even though she wrote a lot, most of her work was not published under her own name during her lifetime. In the 1840s, she co-wrote several newspaper articles about domestic violence. These were published anonymously in newspapers like the Morning Chronicle and Daily News.
Harriet read and commented on all of John Stuart Mill's writings. Mill said she was a very important helper for much of his work. He especially valued her help on On Liberty, which he later dedicated to her when it was published in 1859, a year after her death. She also helped with his book Principles of Political Economy.
In his autobiography, Mill even said that Harriet was a joint author of most of the books and articles published under his name. He wrote that when two people share their thoughts completely, it doesn't matter who actually writes it down. There is still a discussion today about how much she helped him.
Few of Mill's friends were allowed to meet Harriet. Those who did, like Thomas and Jane Carlyle, did not think highly of her abilities. However, a letter from Mill in 1854 shows how much he valued her. He wrote, "I shall never be satisfied unless you allow our best book, the book which is to come, to have our two names on the title page. It ought to be so with everything I publish, for the better half of it all is yours." This letter, along with Mill's autobiography and studies of their writings, shows that they worked as a team on many projects.
Death and Recognition
Harriet Taylor Mill died in the Hotel d'Europe in Avignon, France, on 3 November 1858. She had developed a serious lung problem.
After she died, John Stuart Mill wrote about her importance:
If I could only share with the world half of the great thoughts and noble feelings that are buried with her, I would do more good than anything I could ever write on my own, without her almost unmatched wisdom.
In 2001, the Harriet Taylor Mill Institute for Economics and Gender Studies was founded at the Berlin School of Economics and Law, named in her honor. She was also included in the 2020 book Philosopher Queens.
See also
In Spanish: Harriet Taylor Mill para niños
