John Stuart Mill was homeschooled by his father and secured a position with the East India Company. He spent his life advancing a logical and scientific approach to social and political problems. Mill argues that a science of human nature is possible if all factors influencing human behavior are known and measurable, like in astronomy and theories of tides. However, accurately predicting individual human thoughts and actions is difficult because people are influenced by many diverse and variable factors. But probabilistic predictions can be made about human aggregates and societies if general patterns and influences are understood.

1. Chapter 10
A Science of Human Nature
by John Stuart Mill
Oleh : Yudo_191000034

2. John Stuart Mill was entirely home-schooled by his father. His father
secured for him a position in the East India Company which provide
d him the opportunity for continuing the utilitarian tradition begun by
Jeremy Bentham. He spent his life advancing a logical and scientific
approach to social and political problems.
His Utilitarianism is generally considered the foundational statement
on the nature of happiness for the individual and society.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
JOHN STUART MILL
(1806-1873)

3. From A System of Logic, Mill argues that a science of human
nature is no different from any other kind of exact science.
• In astronomy, the movement of the planets can be predicted
with certainty because the laws of motions and the antecede
nt circumstances can be, he thinks, known with certainty.
• The rise and fall of the tides, on the other hand, can only be
imprecisely known because local antecedent conditions can
not be known or measured exactly.
Nevertheless, Mill argues that, in principle, both tidology and hu
man nature can become exact sciences
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4. • If there’s no other causes intervened, a complete explanation
could be given not only of the phenomenon in general, but of
all the variations and modifications which it admits of.
• The minor causes don’t affect the principal mass of the effect,
but will cause predictions that cannot be explained accurately.
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Human Nature As a Subject of Science

5. • The circumstances of a local or causal nature, and a portion of these circu
mstances being either not accurately knowable, not precisely measurable,
or not capable of being certainly foreseen.
• Astronomy was once a science, without being an exact science. It couldn’t
become exact until not only the general course of the planetary motions, bu
t the perturbations also, were accounted for, and referred to their causes.
• Tidology is not yet an exact science because it’s difficult to ascertaining wit
h complete precision the real derivative uniformities.
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The Theory of Tides…

6. INCREASED
CRIME RATES
AFFECTS
HUMAN SLEEP
PATTERNS
BIRTH OF A BABYDEPRESSION
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Effect Full Moon on Human Nature…

7. Astronomy was once a science, without being an exact science. It could n
ot become exact until not only the general course of the planetary motions
, but the perturbations also, were accounted for, and referred to their caus
es. It has become an exact science, because its phenomena have been b
rought under laws comprehending the whole of the causes by which the p
henomena are influenced Tidology, therefore, is not yet an exact science;
not from any inherent incapacity of being so, but from the difficulty of asce
rtaining with complete precision the real derivative uniformities.
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8. Aspects of a Science of Human Nature
• Science achieves ideal perfection when it enables us to pre
dict how an individual think, feel or act through life.
• But, the actions of individuals could not be predicted with sc
ientific accuracy.
• The impressions and actions of human beings aren’t solely
the result of their present circumstances, but the joint result
of those circumstances and of the characters of the individu
als and the agencies which determine human character are
so numerous and diversified, so individuals are never in any
two cases exactly similar.
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9. Aspects of a Science of Human Nature
• With regard of all such effects, it makes predictions were al
most always verified and general propositions were almost
always true, so it would be enough to know how great the
majority of human race would think, act and feel.
• In social inquiries, which is only probable when asserted of
individual human beings indiscriminately selected, being
certain when affirmed of the character and collective
conduct of masses.
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10. Thank you