This dissertation seeks to examine the religious ideas in Mill's writings. Recipient of a unique education, Mill was trained to uphold a reformist ideology, Benthamite Utilitarianism. The secular biases thus instilled were greatly reinforced by his own inductivist outlook in epistemology. But Mill's sensitive mind succumbed to other influences too, especially after his "crisis". Based on a review of these key contextual factors, the ensuing study highlights (1) the persistence of a religious interest throughout Mill's career, (2) the sceptical (yet undogmatic) character of his religious thinking, and (3) the later Mill's drift towards a more sympathetic interpretation of religion. It is also emphasized that although his views are challengeable, they retain some relevance to contemporary discussion, and again, that Mill frequently emerges as a more perceptive analyst of religion than either Hume or Marx. Offered as a contribution to the study of religious thought, this dissertation is also intended to fill a certain gap in modern scholarship on the 19th century's most influential English philosophic writer.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.68677 |
| Date | January 1982 |
| Creators | Rajapakse, Vijithasena. |
| Contributors | McKinnon, Alastair (Supervisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Philosophy) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 000147001, proquestno: AAINK61032, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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