John Stuart Mill Essay Example for Free

John Stuart Mill Essay In this essay I will discuss Utilitarianism by first explaining how Utilitarians are consequentialists who base their actions on the pleasure of pain of their consequences. Secondly, Jeremy Bentham will be discussed as the propagator of the Principle of Utility which determines human self-interest and voluntary action to achieve the greatest good or greatest pleasure. Thirdly, I will discuss John Stuart Mills and his more complex version of Utilitarianism. To clarify the Utilitarian theory I will illustrate and assess different examples of complex situations, simultaneously doing a critique on the theory, in order to conclude the relevance of Utilitarianism in society. (101) Consequentialism looks at the desirability and undesirability of consequences; meaning people base their actions on what is right and wrong by the virtue of the outcome. The Principle of Utility was derived by Jeremy Bentham and originated from psychological hedonism. Psychological hedonism is a form of psychological egoism that describes the human motive and desire to experience pleasure and avoid pain. The Principle of Utility is therefore described as the determination of right and wrong actions with right actions producing the greatest happiness or greatest good for the greatest number of people, while wrong actions produce unhappiness and pain. Thus, Utilitarians can be seen as Consequentialists because their actions are governed by consequences which can either result in pleasure or pain. Jeremy Bentham derived the Principle of Utility and viewed this principle as the foundation of all ethics. Bentham searched for what had the ultimate intrinsic value. For something to be of intrinsic value it must be desirable in itself, for example, health. People do not want good health for any other reason than to be healthy. There are many things that can be seen to have intrinsic value, such as knowledge, success, or God’s Will. However, Bentham wanted to identify the intrinsic value that everyone, religious or not, could agree on. He therefore decided that pleasure was the only thing with the ultimate intrinsic value as it allows an objective approach to morality. As mentioned previously, hedonism involves seeking pleasure of both the body and mind. The best actions result in maximized pleasure, but this raised the question of which pleasures are relevant. Therefore Bentham used hedonic calculus, consisting of 7 criteria, to calculate the ranking of different pleasures. These criteria could then be applied to evaluate even complex moral dilemmas. John Stuart Mill was greatly influenced by Bentham. Mill formed a more complex form of Utilitarianism by reconciling Bentham’s theory with complex issues that were not included in the original theory. Even though he critiques Bentham, Mill still used the basic framework of Bentham’s theory. Mill defines happiness as pleasure and the absence of pain, â€Å"actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to promote the reverse of happiness. However, he argues that pleasure can differ in quality and quantity. Higher pleasure; such as intellectual, social and creative pursuits (which are more plentiful); are rated higher than baser pleasures, such as bodily pleasures. Furthermore, Mill argues that achieving goals also contribute to happiness. He promotes human dignity. He places focus on the â€Å"Golden Rule† for example â€Å"to love your neighbor as yourself†. He is therefore more concerned about altruism than self interest as in Bentham’s case. And ultimately he views justice as based on utility and the need for human rights exists because they contribute to human happiness. (476) [max 400] Examples + Critique There are positive as well as negative aspects to Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism provides answers and reasons for people to be moral. Despite society having many conflicting moral views and beliefs it is commonly agreed that pleasure is good and pleasure is bad It provides a basic platform for making ethical decisions and also results in objective fairness which contributes to social harmony. It makes use of common sense and is widely practiced and this may result in socially beneficial changes. Utilitarianism is flexible and sensitive to certain circumstances even if there are different views on what is right and wrong in complex situations. Abortions can be used to illustrate the vast variety of views on a certain subject. Some people may be for abortion and some against. Either view has very different consequences for the action they take. Both views may contribute to the greater good depending on the individual. [elaborate ] There are however some negative aspects. Some may view Bentham’s theory as too uncivilized and it is uncertain how Mill can consider one pleasure more important than another. If pleasure is the only criterion it takes us back to Bentham’s theory and this is an example of circular reasoning. Utilitarianism aims to achieve the greatest amount of happiness but also to create happiness of greatest number. Therefore which do you choose: 4 completely happy people and 6 unhappy people, or 10 mildly happy people? This represents the incoherence of the Principle of Utility. Also, can slavery be justified if the benefit to society is greater than the misfortune of the slaves? Is the total happiness of society thus greater than the unhappiness of the slaves? If we also look at an example of where there are two people dying in need of a kidney: a family member and a scientist on the verge of making a cure for cancer, who will you donate your kidney to? Will you abide to your obligation to your family, or will you abide to the greater good of society? (336) [max 300: 150+150] Conclusion: By discussing how Bentham and Mill created the Principle of Utility we have discovered that Utilitarianism aims to satisfy the greater good and greater happiness of society, while avoiding pain and unhappiness. Utilitarians make their decisions depending of their consequences. Even though Utilitarianism does create a foundation for dealing with ethical issues and provides reason for people to be moral, it does not provide enough compensation for individual rights. Also, not everything can be evaluated by the same standard and happiness in itself is more complex than the theory makes provision for. Therefore, Utilitarianism does not fit into modern day society as people are more focused on self-interest and human rights are hugely important. (114).