John Mill

• Who made an audition to the utilitarianism theory by Bentham?


  John Stuart Mill
• Give background detail on John Stuart Mill in relation to naturalism and how he differs from Jeremy Bentham:


  • Mill was an ethical naturalist as he described happiness (and therefore the good) in terms of the quality of pleasure rather than the quantity of pleasure.

  —> That quality is is based on a view about the importance of different human attributes - physical, social, cultural, intellectual.

  For Mill, utilitarianism is all about a fair and just distribution of those natural benefits.
• Waht are the two factors that John Stuart Mill focuses on in relation to pain and pleasure?


  • AUTONOMY of the individual as important as the majority (no abuse of minority)
  • HIGHER AND LOWER PLEASURES (rather be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfied …)
• What does John Mill mean by autonomy of the individual being as important as the majority in relation to utilitarianism?


  FILL IN
• What does John Mill mean by higher and lower pleasures in relation to utilitarianism?


  Quality of pleasures

  E.g. sex, drugs,alcohol,appetite are lower pleasures

  Intellectual pleasures such as reading or going to the theatre are higher pleasures
• What did John Mill argue in addition to the distinction between higher and lower pleasures?


  He also argued that, rather than considering only the anticipated results of particular actions, it was important to take into account the positive benefits offered by general moral rules or principles.

  He argued that many moral rules have developed naturally because it was found that not stealing, lying, or murdering has beneficial effects on society —> i.e. such principles were justified as they produced a balance of pleasure over pain/happiness over unhappiness.
• How can we apply John Mill’s view of taking into account the positive benefits on society offered by general moral rules or principles to the example of lying?


  • If everyone decided whether or not to tell the truth on each individual situation as it arose, would result in general chaos —> principles of truth telling is important for general trust in society.

  —> So could be argued that, in more cases telling the truth is the RIGHT thing to do as it supports a principle that offers the greatest happiness to the greatest number.