Who Is John Stuart Mill Utilitarianism

Decent Essays
Utilitarianism is concerned with the promotion of the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. It refers to the ethical theory that posits that happiness is the ultimate end of the morality. I think Mill significantly refutes moral egoism. According to Mill, the greatest happiness is based on the principle that an action is right as far as it promotes the happiness. I think, this principle refutes moral egoism because he asserts that it is the only intrinsically desirable thing. In this view, I strongly believe that it is not right to promote it. Moral egoism promotes injustices as Mill argues. He says, “All inequalities, which have ceased to be considered expedient, assume the character, not of a simple inexpediency, but of injustice, and appear so tyrannical, that people are…” (Mill 40). In this context, I feel that it is not right to discriminate others, and I should promote everyone's happiness and not just my own. …show more content…
If actions are good, then, their outcomes will be good and vice versa. He argues, "The art of music is good, for the reason, among others, that produces pleasure; but what proof is it possible to give that pleasure is good? If, then, it is asserted that there is a comprehensive formula, including all things that are in themselves good and that whatever else is good, is not so as an end, but as a mean,.." (Mill 50). There is no argument for impartiality in Mill’s component of utilitarianism. This is because he argues that what makes one happy makes society happy as well. This implies that everyone in the society is happy. There is no need for creating impartiality in his work because this will promote injustice that he is against

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In efforts to find summum bonum or the ultimate good, philosophers during the 20th century began to investigate ethical issues, and tried to create their own versions of an ideal moral code. During this time, John Stuart Mill and Peter Singer base their ethical beliefs in the philosophy of utilitarianism. Both Mill’s essay Utilitarianism and Singer’s work Famine, Affluence and Morality explore the pursuit of happiness and its relation to moral philosophy. The doctrine of utilitarianism emphasizes the consequences of one’s actions as they add to the sum total of happiness.…

    • 1033 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    It is believed that it is too strict a requirement for Utilitarianism to imply that we should always act solely to maximize happiness. It is then asking too much of people to be always centrally focused on promoting happiness for the general human population. Mill responds to such criticism by stating that “…no system of ethics requires that the sole motive of all we do shall be a feeling of duty,” but rather that “utilitarian moralists have gone beyond almost everyone in asserting that the motive has nothing to do with the morality of the action though it has much to do with the worth of the agent.” (13) This therefore, asserts that the motives behind an action will have nothing to do with whether or not we should complete an action solely based on its morality. He states that the great majority of these good actions are intended not for the benefit of the world, but for that of its…

    • 1497 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Mill expresses the specifics of his views in his literary work titled Utilitarianism. Mill’s theory of utilitarianism measures the goodness of actions…

    • 1181 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A. Utilitarianism seeks to maximize good by minimizing harm to all while egoism seeks to maximize good by keeping the individual happy. As ethical egoism holds that moral conduct ought to be judged through self-interest. Egoism states that the good consequences for the individual agent outweigh the consequences placed upon…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mill defines utilitarianism as “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness,” (484) He then begins to explain that happiness is the absence of pain, and pain is the absence of pleasure. He refers to utilitarianism as the Greatest Happiness Principle. Many people that disagreed with Mill’s definition of utilitarianism insulted his work by stating it as a “doctrine worthy only of swine,” (Mill 485). Mill responds to this attack by stating “...for if the sources of pleasure were precisely the same to human beings and to swine, the rule of which is good enough for the one would be good enough for the other,” (Mill 485). Mill responds to this insult by comparing human…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    He states, “if the greatest happiness of all is the end of human action, it must be the standard of morality.” (11) Opponents to this theory state that happiness is unattainable, and humans can do without it. Mill responds to this by clarifying that utilitarianism is not only the pursuit of happiness, but “the prevention of lessening happiness.” (11) Therefore, Mill concludes that utilitarianism is more necessary if happiness is unattainable.…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to Mill “Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (John Stuart Mill). In its simplest form utilitarianism can be defined as actions morally permissible if and only if they produce at least as much net happiness as any other available action. Its core idea is that whether actions are morally right or wrong depends on their effects. When making a decision for one’s self he/she must consider what will bring themselves the most happiness. When making a decision that will affects other…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Through Mill’s view on Utilitarianism there emerges a core moral theory called the greatest happiness principle. However, I believe that Mill’s Greatest Happiness Principle is false. I believe this because after examining his theory I noticed several flaws within his theory. Before I say what is wrong with Mill’s argument and theory I want to address the definition of the greatest happiness principle and what all it encompasses. Mill believes that “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, [and] wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (Mill,97).…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Today we routinely differentiate between hedonism as a theory of the good and utilitarianism as a consequentialist theory of the right. Mill, however, considered both doctrines to be so closely intertwined that he used the term ‘utilitarianism’ to signify both theories. On the one hand, he says that the “utilitarian doctrine is, that happiness is desirable, and the only thing desirable, as an end.” (CW 10, 234) On the other hand, he defines utilitarianism as a moral theory according to which “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness…”…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In 1848, German philosopher Karl Marx published The Communist Manifesto, a political pamphlet which went on to be recognized as one of the world’s most influential political manuscripts. Indeed, The Communist Manifesto was an attempt at explaining the underlying goals of communism, an ideology that contrasts heavily with the utilitarian views of English philosopher John Stuart Mill, who in 1859, published On Liberty, an application of utilitarianism to society and state. Evidently, Marx’s and Mill’s views leaned towards different ends of the political spectrum, although their opposing viewpoints did hold underlying similarities. To that effect, the two thinkers’ contrasting worldviews will be studied through an analysis of their outlooks on…

    • 1298 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In regard to ideas about happiness, Mill introduces a concept he came up with which he calls the Greatest Happiness Principle. Of his principle, Mill says, “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness,” (Utilitarianism, pg. 229). This principle obviously aligns with his utilitarian beliefs because he would suggest using to gauge how people feel about certain actions and if the largest number of people were not happy about these actions then they would have to be undone for not following the premise of utilitarianism. In his book, Mill speaks of many clarifications and objections to his own principle as a way to disregard critics of utilitarianism. Because he is utilitarian, one of the most important clarifications of his idea of happiness that he offers is that it does not matter if one person is unhappy.…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    John Stuart Mill is a very important and popular philosopher in the 19th century. He is one of the earliest advocates of Utilitarianism. He defines the theory of utilitarianism in his book, Utilitarianism. It focuses on the general good of individual pleasure. Mill tried to provide evidence for his theory of moral utilitarianism and refutes all the arguments against it in his book.…

    • 1239 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill are considered founders of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory where moral rightness is measured by what brings the most happiness to the most people. Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism because it is based on whether an action is morally justified by its consequences. Bentham and Mill differ in that Bentham reasoned that pleasure was measurable using hedons, units of pleasure, where actions with the highest score were the best action.…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill demonstrate two contrasting moral theories. The philosophers have very different ideas about ethics and happiness. Immanuel Kant, author of “Duty and Reason”, believed in the morality of the good will and duty. According to Kant, happiness is an emotion unable to be controlled while motive is controllable; therefore, duty is the most important aspect of leading a moral life.…

    • 1751 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The recent events below have led to a series of protests over the past year but recently in the media the public has been advocating for the rights of African Americans in America based off of the neglect of the justice system for these young black men. These situations were all against young black males that had absolutely no reason to be murdered as a means to a solution. As these three situations only stand as representations of the many black male to be victimized by the police system in America it also shows us that although we have made strides in race relations and equality we still have a very long and tiring journey to go to be fully accepted by our fellow counterpart. Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by a Chicago…

    • 1055 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays