Is this how philosophers die?

John Stuart Mill's first posthumous reception in France (1873-1874)

Abstract

To "decompartmentalize" philosophy, it can be useful to understand how the quality of "philosopher" comes to be conferred on someone. Here, we look at the posthumous treatment of John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) in France, and the ways in which his work and commitments facilitated or, on the contrary, hindered his philosophical canonization. To do this, we will draw on two different corpora: on the one hand, news, obituaries and notices relating to Mill's death in the French press in 1873; on the other, tributes and analyses of Mill published in the philosophical field between 1873 and 1875. As we shall try to show, while the posthumous "general public" appreciation of Mill will salute the memory of the political economist rather than that of the philosopher, evoking positively or critically - depending on the ideology adopted - his various positions (notably on the promises and perils of modern democracy and women's rights), the philosophical assessment of Millien's work will be made in the light of its doctrinal compatibility with the various schools, movements and currents (in particular positivism and criticalism) that make up the speculative landscape of the time. But, as we shall also see, these two receptions converge in their observation of the failure of Mill's political career, and in their desire to mobilize consideration of his "character" to explain his ideas and commitments.