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The “Vanity of the Philosopher” : Analytical Egalitarianism, Associationist Psychology, and Eugenic Remaking?
Author(s) -
Farrant Andrew
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of economics and sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1536-7150
pISSN - 0002-9246
DOI - 10.1111/j.1536-7150.2008.00580.x
Subject(s) - eugenics , egalitarianism , mill , race (biology) , sociology , epistemology , philosophy , psychoanalysis , gender studies , psychology , law , political science , politics , history , archaeology
A bstract . These comments explore the relationship between analytical egalitarianism, race‐blind theorizing, and associationist psychology. Associationist psychology, though making an implicit appearance in Vanity , was central to the egalitarian analysis provided by James Mill and John Stuart Mill. Indeed, associationist considerations lay at the heart of Mill's race‐blind analysis of cottier tenure, and his exchange with Thomas Carlyle over the “Negro Question.” These comments also note some intriguing comparisons between the debate over eugenics and the debate over socialist calculation.