Mill believes that true happiness should be rational or ethical in nature. Physical happiness does not count as true happiness. Sometimes the pursuit of happiness or of human pleasures may result in pain as a result of sacrifices we consciously make.…
He argues that not all pleasures can possibly be the same because if they were then all humans would wish to be lower creatures. Mill’s point is that we are more than swine looking for simple pleasure. As more intelligent creatures we are looking for greater fulfillment found in higher pleasures such as art and…
The view of happiness as well as the role that pleasures and desires play in achieving happiness can be seen throughout Western philosophy. Detailing a hypothetical dinner conversation between Aristotle, Epicurus, Hobbes, and Epictetus, will such an understanding be described. In such an account, I will be detailing: what issue/s each guest would raise; what thesis would each defend, and how each would respond to the other; as well as who is most likely to disagree with whom and on which points, and who, on the other hand, might find allies or sympathizers. Each philosopher defines/views happiness differently. Aristotle defines happiness as an activity of the soul in accordance to virtue and reason.…
John Stuart Mill—a philosopher whom believed that another name for utility is the greatest form of happiness, a principal lead by the clause “Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness are intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure”. With this, Mill presents the concept of utility as a stem from the presence of pleasure and the absence of pain within basic desires. According to Mill, the more valuable a pleasure becomes, the more of likelihood that an individual will employ higher faculties. Mill often juxtaposes human values of pleasure with that of pain.…
Mill's writings defines pleasure as avoiding pain. He goes on to describe pleasure as taking form. These forms can consist of "beauty, of ornament, or of amusement" (Mill,1863). Pleasure is ranked lower if the pleasure is primal like sex or eating, higher ranked pleasures are more intellectual. If you choose between reading the Odyssey and spending time eating a cake you are choosing between high and low pleasures.…
What is the moral theory of utilitarianism? According to Vaughn, “[Utilitarianism is] the view that right actions are those that result in the greatest overall happiness for everyone involved” (Vaughn, 79). At face value such a moral theory sounds great, because it should promote general happiness. While this is true, a particular argument, the telishment argument, shows that utilitarianism is not a viable moral theory because it promotes decisions that run contrary to historical moral inclinations. To prove this is the case, this paper will first dive into what happiness means in the utilitarian sense, the telishment argument itself, what points of contention the tellishment argument brings up against utilitarianism, and finally, what utilitarianism has to say in its own defense.…
“Every art and every inquiry, and likewise every action and choice, seems to aim at some good, and hence it has been beautifully said that the good is that at which all things aim.” As Aristotle makes inquires and deliberates over what is the highest end for the human life, he debates over what constitutes the highest good. Throughout the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that we aim at some end through our pursuits of action, and that those ends are in some way connected at achieving the highest good. Aristotle suggests the possibility of happiness, translated from the Greek word eudaimonia, which refers to a “state of having a good indwelling spirit or being in a contented state of being healthy, happy and prosperous.” For the one who…
Philosophers have long argued about the correct way to organize a group of people to maximize safety, happiness, and order. John Stuart Mill and Plato, two prominent philosophers of their respective eras, created contradicting theories on how best to create a flourishing society. Although their theories are different, Mill and Plato both focus on the roles of people in society. Mill specifically believes that people should act in ways that promote self-benefit while avoiding harming another person (2002, p. 8).…
Introduction: John Stuart Mill, although accepts the Radicals legacy in the utilitarian domain, he adds to and supplements their points of views, especially in the areas of human motivation and the true nature of happiness. When we read through Mill’s approach on happiness, we see how a lot of Radicals’ assumptions are modified, this can be seen in the second chapter of his essay: Utilitarianism. The Proportionality Doctrine is one of the most prominent concepts that emerge from his writing which suggests that actions are “right” when doing them leads to the highest amount of happiness as a lack of pain, and the reverse of this constitutes a “wrong” action. Here, happiness means pleasure which comes with the absence of pain, and unhappiness…
Aristotle and John Stuart Mill were two famous philosophers known for their studies in politics. Aristotle believes the best form of government is a polis, while Mill believes a more laid back structure is better. He believes the people should be ruled by the harm principles. Although they have very different ideas on how the people should be ruled, there are many similarities between the two. Aristotle was a great philosopher from the BC era.…
Happiness is pleasure and the absence of pain versus unhappiness which is pain and the absences of pleasure. Mill thinks pleasures and happiness are the same. If something brings you pleasure, then you are happy. Just as if you are happy something has brought you pleasure. Take for example food, it is only desired to stop and/or prevent hunger which brings happiness to the person starving.…
Many authors have had various definitions of happiness. According to Aristotle Happiness, is living with virtue and reason. A man may agree to this, but it does not satisfy animals. Receiving honors is not always the final step; this opposes Aristotle’s argument that purports that receiving honors is the final end. In his definition, Aristotle says that happiness is the final end.…
1. What, according to Aristotle, is the relationship between happiness and virtue? Working to possess and exercise virtue is essential to achieve the highest degree of happiness. Virtuousness is a unique element of happiness in the sense that we can work to control it through our own habituation. This can be compared to the plethora of components that our disposition creates a predetermined outcome for, including the external and physical goods we desire. Aristotle expands on this idea, stating that when happiness, “...comes as a result of virtue and some process of learning or training, [it is] among the most god-like things; for that which is the prize and end of virtue seems to be the best thing in the world, and something godlike and blessed” (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 947).…
This is a theory by Mill that seeks to explain that one’s actions are right as they tend to bring happiness and wrong if they produce sadness. Happiness is then defined as the absence of pain. He argues that pleasure can differ in quality and quantity and that peoples achievements should be counted as part of their happiness. This theory is seen to coincide with humans’ social nature. Mill argues that the sole basis of morality in a society in happiness and that everyone desires to be happy.…
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.…