Mill Utilitarianism

In his book, Utilitarianism, specifically in chapter 3, philosopher John Stuart Mill discusses the sanctions and the motives that human beings have that lead them to act in a moral manner. In this paper, I will be exploring in what ways J.S. Mill supports his claims. I will also be delving into analyzing what exactly the motives are, according to Mill. Then I will decide whether or not those motives provide compelling grounds for people to consistently act in a moral manner, no matter the circumstances. I will also be inspecting whether this theory of motivation that is presented by Mill is supposed to apply to individuals acting according to any moral theory. I will then describe the critical point: the idea that Mill’s sanctions are quite …show more content…
Mill, there are motives that actually drive people to act morally. In chapter three, he writes that the theory of utilitarianism can impose, or have already imposed, all of the sanctions that can be provided by other systems of morals. He notes that there are two types of sanctions. An internal sanction, as well as an external sanction. The internal sanction stems from the mind and the conscience of one’s self. This is directly derived from the feelings that are produced by one’s self, this creates discomfort when duty is violated. The external sanction may take shape in the form of fright, peer pressure, or even divine pressure -the fear of God’s wrath. Both of these types of sanctions can cause feelings that will influence the actions of any individual. With that being said, Mill states in his writing that he believes that internal sanctions are far more powerful than external sanctions. He states that because they are absolute in the realm of human nature, they can be cultivated in a way that supports utilitarian specific …show more content…
Mill does state that these ideas that pain is good would be considered “artificial”, but even in today’s society, there are cases where this idea has been proved wrong. In situations of race and sex, there are certain people who are raised and taught that they are superior to others. Just in the past year, there have been rallies for white supremacists, and racism appears to be more widely accepted in the United States. I do not believe that these “ideas” that have been placed into the minds of these bigots are in any way shape or form an “artificial belief.” Rather, I believe that it is a sign of human stupidity and a lack of tolerance. As I wrote in my last paper regarding the ideas of Hobbes and Rousseau, it is very difficult to categorize mankind as either fully good or fully evil. I feel as though this concept ties in with the ideas of Mill, as some people do find happiness in the lack of happiness for others. With that being said, there are people, such as myself, who were not raised to be prejudiced bigots, and who do not find happiness in the lack of equality for