Js Mill Essay Research Paper The principle

Js Mill Essay, Research Paper

The principle of utility is that pleasure and happiness are valuable, pain and suffering are disvaluable, and anything else only causes the happiness or adds to the suffering. A utilitarian is someone who believes the principle of utility to be correct, and is therefore concerned with maximizing the utility of the universe. Utilitarianism indicates that an action is right if it produces as much or more of an increase in happiness, or wrong if it does not.

Utilitarianism is ultimately concerned with happiness, and utilitarian’s believe that the intrinsic value of happiness is unaffected by the identity of the being in which it (happiness) is felt. This means they reject egoism, racism, sexism, and other forms of unfair discrimination. This does not mean that people are not different. We are taller, smarter, stronger than others, but there is no logical reason for assuming that a difference in ability justifies any difference in the consideration given to their interests.

John Stuart Mill, more commonly know as JS Mill, was a philosopher in the 17th century. Born in London in 1806 to James Mill, a well- known philosopher and economist, he became widely known for his essays and writings. In his book Utilitarianism, Mill defends his Greatest Happiness Principle, and explains why he thinks that higher pleasures are better on utilitarian grounds that lower ones. In his defense of the Greatest Happiness Principle Mill says that just as the only proof that something is visible is that someone sees it, so the only proof that something is desirable is that someone desires it. He also says that people ultimately want their own happiness. I believe in the Greatest Happiness Principle, because I think that happiness and fulfilling ones desires are very important. On the other hand, I am having a little trouble agreeing with all of Mill’s arguments for the GHP. Just because you see something, does not necessarily mean that it is visible. A person could be high on LSD, and experience hallucinations. This person sees these visions, but they are not visible. Mill also mentions desirability in his argument, as something that people want. If something is desirable, it does not mean that it is possible to desire it, only that it should be desired. Visibility is a descriptive concept, while desirability is a normative one. So although “x is visible” does follow from “x is seen,” “x is desirable”, does not follow from “x is desired.” Sober says, “the fact that your own happiness is the most desirable thing for you doesn’t imply that you should maximize everyone’s happiness.” In the conclusion to his argument, Mill says that each person should perform those actions that promote the greatest happiness. “The conclusion of this argument sometimes requires you to act unselfishly to sacrifice your own happiness if doing so brings with it a more than compensating increase in the happiness of others,” Sober says. Here is where I side with the author; the conclusion does not seem to follow from Mill’s fourth premise, which is, the only thing that is ultimately desirable for a person is his or her own happiness. I believe that I am prepared to act unselfishly in certain situations for the benefit of others happiness. This mentality comes from my raising, my religion, and my beliefs. Mill says that I should do things only if they make me the happiest. I feel that sacrificing my time for others who are in worse off situations makes me happy. To increase the happiness of other people, in turn gives me a feeling of happiness, but following from premise number 4, Mill does not agree.

Moving off of the Greatest Happiness Principle for a moment, Utilitarian’s have a few problems with punishment. A non-utilitarian view of punishment is an eye for an eye. Retributionist want the punishment to fit the crime; utilitarian’s want the punishment to be chosen for its benefits. Sober uses the “Lonesome Stranger” as an example of who should be punished for a crime of murder. According to Utilitarianism, there is no absolute requirement that the guilty must be punished and innocent may be as well. They feel as if what should be done depends on which course of action will maximize happiness. I become a little confused at this point, because I have very high morals, and I think that it is morally wrong to punish the innocent. Further on in the text, Sober distinguishes between rule utilitarianism, and act utilitarianism. There are two alternatives to the “Lonesome Stranger” example. 1) Punish the innocent when convenient and 2) Never punish the innocent. Rule utilitarian’s will argue that #2 has the better consequences. Why is #2 better than #1? I think that if people generally believe that #1 is the policy that the government follows, a great deal of unhappiness will be produced. Not to mention that the example that would be set would not be a very positive one. Note that an act utilitarian will choose alternative #1.

Above I mentioned the word moral. The Oxford Desk Dictionary defines “moral” as, 1)“concerned with the distinction between right and wrong”, and 2) “concerned with accepted rules and standards of human behavior.” How does a utilitarian feel about what is right vs. what is wrong? Sober uses another example that I shall modify a little. If I am studying to be a research scientist, and I get offered a job working with animals. In order to study their syst