Analysis Of John Stuart Mill's Considerations On Representative Government

Mill writes “Considerations on Representative Government” as a view of what his Parliament could become. He advocated for a representative form of government, with universal suffrage, a unique view for his time. I believe Mill wants universal suffrage and a representative government because of the processes it uses, mainly that representation necessarily engages all members of society in the government, which keeps them mentally sharp, however representation only works if the citizens vote at all, and in accordance with the public good, and the government does not infringe of citizens’ liberty. Representation uses better processes than other forms of government, which make it the preferable form of government. Mill writes that if a person does not have any involvement with their government “he will not care for it” (240). This would be bad, because it might make people not pay taxes, which governments need to survive, or they might move countries, or they might not serve in the military, etc. Representation skirts this negative outcome by making citizens have to care about politics, so they have some stake in their country. Most people believe that having intelligence for the sake of intelligence is a worthy goal. Mill believes that “the only sufficient incitement to mental exertion…is the prospect of some practical use to be made of its results” …show more content…
In “On Liberty,” Mill discloses his view that “the despotism of custom” is the antithesis of progress and development (78). Progress and development need liberty, because liberty lets people explore new ideas, and new ways of living, which can help people increase their standard of living. Once again, the processes of representative governments protect liberty better than autocracies