Immanuel Kant was more important than John Stuart Mill in the development of philosophy

I will follow the framework of pro. Metaphysics and Epistemology A: Mill I will expand the quote con used from the Stanford encyclopedia. “John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), British philosopher, economist, moral and political theorist, and administrator, was the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the nineteenth century. His views are of continuing significance, and are generally recognized to be among the deepest and certainly the most effective defenses of empiricism and of a liberal political view of society and culture. The overall aim of his philosophy is to develop a positive view of the universe and the place of humans in it, one which contributes to the progress of human knowledge, individual freedom and human well-being. His views are not entirely original, having their roots in the British empiricism of John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume, and in the utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham." (1) Pro applies this quote saying, “but when you think of empiricism, you think Locke, Berkeley, Hume; when you think of utilitarianism, you think Bentham” However, the encyclopedia concludes “he (John Stuart Mill) gave them (empiricism, and utilitarianism) a new depth, and his formulations were sufficiently articulate to gain for them a continuing influence among a broad public.”(1) What good are the works of John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume, however brilliant, if without depth and lack influence among the public? As the resolve states we are looking for “more important” to the “development.” Surely influence among the public is of key importance to development of philosophy. Without influence there is little to no development. On a side note… I would be amazed if an educated conversation of utilitarianism could take place without reference to John Stuart Mill. B: Kant Pro says “On the other hand, when you think of Kantianism, you think of Kant--obviously--just as when you think of deontology ethics, Kant most comes to mind.” Again as pro stated originally “This debate is NOT about the soundness of the philosophers' views. Please do not start arguing about who was right or wrong unless it bears relevance to the debate--which it probably will not.” While deontology and teleology are both confined in normative ethics, modern society is largely based on teleology, Especially Utilitarianism. So while I will not argue in this debate that John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism is greater than Kant’s Deontology, I will point out that clearly Utilitarianism has had greater influence on society as a whole. Such a conclusion would imply that the influence being greater on society includes greater influence in the development of philosophy. Influence of Utilitarianism vs deontology would imply that Mill has had greater influence than Kant to the development of normative Ethics. Aesthetics A: Mill “The “Art of Life” is John Stuart Mill's name for his account of practical reason. In this volume, eleven leading scholars elucidate this fundamental, but widely neglected, element of Mill's thought.”(2) John Stuart Mill did contribute to this field though did not have much influence. B: Kant Pro provided sufficient Material to chalk up aesthetics for Kant. Logic A: Mill Again I would reference Mill’s work “System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive.” While “John Stuart Mill did not by any means invent logic…” this work is very important because of the “ clarity it brought to the subject. Mill defined just five, and only five, ways (known as 'Mill's Methods') of determining whether causes and effects are connected, and so produced a system which became an important source for all the experimental sciences.”(3) B:Kant Pro admits “he never wrote a separate work on logic,” Utilitarianism Already addressed earlier in debate. “Influence of Utilitarianism vs deontology would imply that Mill has had greater influence than Kant to the development of normative Ethics. “ Without Mill Utilitarianism would lack depth and a continuing influence on the public. Liberty Similar as cases above. I do not doubt Kant’s influence to the development of political philosophy. However, Mill’s contribution overshadows Kant’s. Mill’s concepts of liberty have largely been implemented to modern society. Women Pro says “In this respect, Mill certainly was more important than Kant. However, this is merely a sub genre of political philosophy and is only in part philosophical. Women’s studies are political and social, only partly philosophical and only a sub genre of a genre of philosophy. Women's rights are a hugely important social issue, but not philosophically speaking. “ Mill helped politically open the door to women. This is true philosophically as well. Women’s rights are a hugely important social issue, and necessarily philosophically. Due partly to Mill’s influence our society has accepted the works of female philosophers. Is there an entire race, class, or people that Kant opened philosophy up too? Philosophy of religion; arguments for God Like aesthetics Kant’s influence is beyond the scope of John Stuart Mill in this field. Mill is not without contribution… “In the essay on “The Utility of Religion” Mill argues that much of the apparent social utility of religion derives not from its dogma and theology but to its inculcation of a widely accepted moral code, and to the force of public opinion guided by that code. The belief in a supernatural power may have had some utility in maintaining that code, but is no longer needed and may indeed be detrimental.” (4) Conclusion: In the fields of aesthetics and religion, Kant had the greater influence to the development, though Mill did contribute to both sub fields of philosophy. The difference of Influence between Utilitarianism and deontology would imply that Mill has had greater influence than Kant to the development of normative Ethics. Mill’s concepts of liberty have largely been implemented to modern society. Due partly to Mill’s influence our society has accepted the works of female philosophers. Surely influence among the public is of key importance to development of philosophy. Without influence there is little to no development. The encyclopedia concludes “he (John Stuart Mill) gave them (empiricism, and utilitarianism) a new depth, and his formulations were sufficiently articulate to gain for them a continuing influence among a broad public.”(1) John Stuart Mill was more important to the development of philosophy than Immanuel Kant. (1) http://plato.stanford.edu... (2) http://www.oxfordscholarship.com... (3) http://sqapo.com... (4) http://plato.stanford.edu...