James Mill (born James Milne,[1] 6 April 1773 – 23 June 1836[2]) was a Scottish historian, economist, political theorist, and philosopher. He is counted among the founders of the Ricardian school of economics.[3] His son, John Stuart Mill, was also a noted philosopher of liberalism, UTILITARIANISM and the civilizing mission of the British Empire.

James Mill

James Mill.jpg

Born

James Milne[1]

6 April 1773

Northwater Bridge, parish of Logie Pert, Angus, Scotland

Died

23 June 1836 (aged 63)

Kensington, London, England

Alma mater

University of Edinburgh

Spouse(s)

HARRIET Burrow

Era

19th-century philosophy

Region

Western philosophy

School

Associationalism

Utilitarianism

Liberalism

Ricardian economics

Main interests

Psychology

Ethics

Economics

Influences

David Hartley, Dugald Stewart, Jeremy Bentham

Influenced

John Stuart Mill

Although he never set foot in India at any time in his life, James Mill took upon himself the task of writing the monumental History of British India, a classic of colonial self-congratulation which contains a complete denunciation and rejection of Indian CULTURE and civilisation and which both exhorts and extolls the civilizing mission of the British in the subcontinent.[citation needed] He was the first writer to divide Indian history into three parts: Hindu, Muslim and British,[2] a classification which has proved surpassingly influential in the field of Indian historical studies, but which is seen in recent DECADES as being deeply problematic.