Mill’s Utilitarianism, Chapters I and II

Teleological Morality

Morality where the good is defined independently of the right, and the right is what maximizes the good (e.g., utility, perfection).

Mill on Teleology

Actions are aimed at ends (telos); rules derive meaning from these ends. Moral theories must be based on the ultimate good (summum bonum).

Greatest Happiness Principle (GHP)

Actions are right if they promote happiness (pleasure and absence of pain) and wrong if they produce unhappiness (pain and loss of pleasure).

Benthamite Utilitarianism

A form of utilitarianism Mill initially seems to support: hedonistic, direct, and act-based.

Qualitative Hedonism

Mill’s unique version of hedonism that ranks higher pleasures (intellectual, moral) above lower ones (bodily, sensory), even regardless of quantity.

Higher vs. Lower Pleasures

Higher: pleasures of intellect, imagination, morality. Lower: bodily sensations. Higher pleasures have absolute priority.

Competent Judges

People experienced in both higher and lower pleasures whose preferences determine which are superior. Their role is advisory, not coercive.

Crypto-Perfectionism

The critique that Mill’s focus on what should be pleasurable (for competent judges) veers into perfectionism rather than hedonism.

Mill’s Response to Perfectionism Charge

Asserts his theory is still hedonistic; qualitative hedonism reflects a deeper understanding of pleasure grounded in humanity’s progressive nature.

Mental Cultivation

Essential to experiencing higher pleasures; necessitates widespread education and cultural development.

Act-Utilitarianism

Evaluates individual actions based on GHP. Mill criticizes this as impractical and oversimplified.

Rule-Utilitarianism

Uses general moral rules derived from GHP to guide actions. Mill sees moral rules as subordinate to GHP but useful as rules of thumb.

Direct Utilitarianism

GHP is both the standard and motive for action. Aligns with rules that maximize happiness.

Indirect Utilitarianism

Indirect Utilitarianism

Standard vs. Motive

Mill distinguishes between the moral standard (GHP) and the motive for action, rejecting the idea that all actions must stem from a sense of duty to society.