JOHN STUART MILL

1806-1873

May 20, 1806 in Pentoville ,

London, United Kingdom
Son of James Mill, a friend
disciple of Jeremy Bentham
Home – Schooled
Studied Greek at age of three
(3) and latin at age of eight (8)
 JOHN STUART MILL
 He wrote a history of Roman
Law at age of eleven (11)
 Suffered a nervous breakdown at
the age twenty (20)
 Married to Harriet Taylor after
twenty one (21) of friendship
 Died on May 8, 1873 in Avignon,
France from erysipelas.
 UTILITARIANISM

Utilitarianism:
The moral philosophy that actions
derive their moral quality from their
usefulness as means to some end,
especially as means productive of
happiness or unhappiness.
Applied to civics and politics, the
greatest happiness of the greatest
number should be the sole end and
criterion of all public action.
Ethical situations generally
involve (1) a moral agent, (2) an
action or series of actions, (3)
consequences, and (4) a
recipient of the consequences.
Ethical situations generally
involve (1) a moral agent, (2) an
action or series of actions, (3)
consequences, and (4) a
recipient of the consequences.
1. Moral Agent: Responsible for action
(the doer, or the actor, to which praise
or blame is typically assigned)
2. Action: Something that occurs as a
results of the moral agent’s
decisionmaking process
3. Consequences: Result from action
4. Recipient: Receives the
consequences of the moral agent’s
action(s)
 Utilitarian ethics are consequentialist (consequence
based).
When considering utilitarian
ethics, remember that:
1. They cause
2. The maximum
3. Total (aggregate)
4. Utility for the considered
recipients of action.
Note that utilitarian ethics
do not consider best
possible outcomes for all
recipients, but instead a
computation of total utility.
Utility is abstract. Under
utilitarian ethics, we want to
maximize total utility, but
we must first define utility.
 John Stuart Mill’s
Utilitarianism
 A more sophisticated form of
Utilitarianism.
 Concerned with quality of
pleasure and quantity of
people who enjoy it.
 Recognized higher and lower
types of human pleasure
 John Stuart Mill’s
Utilitarianism
 Lower pleasures: eating, drinking,
sexuality, etc.
 Higher pleasures: intellectuality,
creativity and spirituality.
 ‘Better to be Socrates dissatisfied
than a fool satisfied’
‘Rule’ Utilitarian?
 John Stuart Mill’s Adjustments to Utilitarianism

Mill argues that we must consider

the quality of the happiness, not
merely the quantity.
For example, some might find
happiness with a pitcher of beer and
a pizza. Others may find happiness
watching a fine Shakespearean play.
The quality of happiness is greater
with the latter
 Mill’s Quality Arguments

“It is better to be a human being

dissatisfied than a pig satisfied;
better to be Socrates dissatisfied
than a fool satisfied. And if the fool,
or the pig, are of a different opinion,
it is because they only know their
own side of the question. The other
party to the comparison knows both
sides.”
 Two Types of Utilitarianism
Act: An Action is right if
and only if it produces the
greatest balance of pleasure
over pain for the greatest
number. (Jeremy Bentham)
 Two Types of Utilitarianism

Rule: An action is right if and

only if it conforms to a set of
rules the general acceptance of
which would produce the
greatest balance of pleasure
over pain for the greatest
number. (John Stuart Mill)
Act (Contemporary)
Utilitarianism
“An act is right if and
only if it results in as
much good as any
available alternative.”
 Rule Utilitarianism
“An act is right if and only
if it is required by a rule
that is itself a member of a
set of rules whose
acceptance would lead to
greater utility for society
than any available
alternative.”
 Rule Utilitarianism
Debated as a valid
form of Utilitarianism
Exceptions to the rules
can often be found!
Three levels of rules
suggested:
Rule Utilitarianism: Levels of
Rules
Rules of thumb always to
be followed unless in conflict
with another rule.
Higher level rules which
override thumb rules.
No rules apply – do your
best!
Mill’s “Rule” Utilitarianism
“ . . . Mankind must by this
time have acquired positive
beliefs as to the effects of
some actions on their
happiness; and the beliefs
which have thus come down
are the rules of morality for
the multitude, and for the
philosopher until he has
succeeded in finding better.”
Mill concludes, however, that
we should always seek
improvements.
 Four Theses of Utilitarianism
• Consequentialism: The rightness of
actions is determined solely by their
consequences.
• Hedonism: Utility is the degree to which
an act produces pleasure. Hedonism is the
thesis that pleasure or happiness is the good
that we seek and that we should seek.
• Maximalism: A right action produces the
greatest good consequences and the least
bad.
• Universalism: The consequences to be
considered are those of everyone affected,
and everyone equally.
 Two Formulations of
Utilitarian Theory
Principle of Utility: The best
action is that which produces
the greatest happiness and/or
reduces pain.
 Two Formulations of
Utilitarian Theory
Greatest Happiness: We
ought to do that which
produces the greatest
happiness and least pain for
the greatest number of
people.
THANK YOU!!