Interiorità e carattere nel pensiero politico di John Stuart Mill

This article highlights the importance of the concept of character for John Stuart Mill’s political and moral thought. I argue that interiority is a key aspect of Mill’s conception of character – an aspect overlooked by scholars. Stressing the interior aspect of character sheds light on the conceptions of character which Mill refused, such as the idea that the individual’s character is passively formed by circumstances, or that character is equivalent to reputation. First, I provide the setting of Mill’s ideas by discussing some then current interpretations of the concept of character. I then analyse Mill’s writings on democracy and the United States, his view of character building as self-culture, as well as the difference between passive and active character. Finally, I examine Mill’s ideas on aesthetic education.