John Stuart Mill is best known nowadays for his moral and political philosophy, but in a free public presentation Wednesday, philosophy professor Hans V. Hansen will show how some of his key scientific and political writings also contain the elements of a theory of argumentation.

“By studying his practice in some of his most celebrated works—Utilitarianism, The Subjection of Women, and On Liberty—we can observe whether Mill in fact adhered to his own standards of argumentation,” Dr. Hansen says.

He will explore some examples of Mill’s argumentation in his lecture, entitled “John Stuart Mill and the Great Business of Life,” at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, in Alumni Hall’s MacPherson Lounge.

Hansen is a fellow of the Humanities Research Group, which is hosting the formal program and a reception to follow.