John Stuart Mill and Utilitarianism

John Stuart Mill

a 19th-century British philosopher

What did Mill do ?

Mill refined and expanded upon Bentham's ideas, emphasizing not just the quantity of happiness but also the quality of pleasures.

utilitarianism, an ethical theory originally developed by ....

Jeremy Bentham

"Greatest Happiness Principle": Said by ?

The core principle of utilitarianism, as articulated by Mill

What is the "Greatest Happiness Principle" ?

Actions are right to the extent that they promote happiness and wrong to the extent that they produce the opposite of happiness. By "happiness," Mill means pleasure and the absence of pain; by "unhappiness," he means pain and the deprivation of pleasure.

Higher Pleasures:

(intellectual and moral pleasures, such as learning, creativity, and meaningful relationships

Lower Pleasures

bodily pleasures, such as eating or physical comfort

What did Mill Argue ?

that higher pleasures are more valuable than lower ones because they engage our higher faculties and contribute to human flourishing.

Impartiality

Utilitarianism requires that each person's happiness is weighed equally. No individual's well-being is more important than another's in the moral calculus.

Examples of Utilitarianism in Action

Public Policy on Health Care, Ethical Dilemmas in Business, Moral Dilemmas in Personal Life