John Stuart Mill's Argument Analysis

The golden rule poses a simple moral guideline that seems almost intuitive to many people: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In his attempt to determine a code for what is right and what is wrong, John Stuart Mill argues for the “greatest happiness principle.” In his book Utilitarianism, he writes, “Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (7). In other words, the only metric of whether an action is good or bad is its promotion of happiness or lack thereof. As part of his proof of this principle, Mill poses an argument in support of hedonism, asserting that happiness is the only things humans desire. He argues that “happiness is desirable, and
I will then explore a potential objection to Mill’s argumentative strategy regarding Mill’s definition of “happiness” and its components, as well as potential responses from Mill or his supporters. Subsequently, I will examine what effect, if any, this contention has on Mill’s argument as a whole for utilitarianism as a moral guideline. Through this discussion of Mill’s hedonistic argument, I will show that although Mill’s broad definition of the components of happiness establishes that happiness or pleasure is the only thing we intrinsically desire, it also weakens utilitarianism’s function as a moral
It is also true that any reasonable person would disagree with the drug user’s desire for drugs. However, there exists a tension in the premise that misinformed desires are not proper desires. This carries the implicit notion that people should have certain desires and should not have others. If utilitarianism uses happiness and people’s desires to define what people should and should not do, it is circular to attempt to dictate what a person should and should not desire. Although most people would disagree with the desire to use drugs, it is undeniable that it is something that some people desire. Since some people desire it as an end in itself, it falls under the definition of happiness that Mill used to prove that happiness is the only thing that people intrinsically desire as a part of his broader proof of