Preview

Mill's Argument On The Pursuit Of Happiness By Mil Mill

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
681 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mill's Argument On The Pursuit Of Happiness By Mil Mill
The basic point of Mills’ argument is that happiness is a good and it is compared with pleasure or pain when it is attained or not. The fact that it is a good means that the people will place their own personal actions or virtue to attain happiness. It is their self-motivation that drives people to that end goal. People, in general, will find themselves finding ways to this goal by utilizing money or resources.
Mill mentioned that money is a means of itself and the strongest moving force of human life. This is a bold statement when implying that money is a necessity for human life. Of course, there is a need for money to an extent, but money shouldn’t be a tool required for survival. Unfortunately, it is crucial to have access to capital in countries like the United States because people will not have the ability to survive without having a “criminal” mindset. For example, a person that has absolutely no money will have no choice but to steal from local businesses. The reason why a broke person would steal is driven by the need to satisfy the craving for happiness. This person that is stealing is unhappy because they are living their lives hungry. Hunger creates pain within an individual, and to ease the pain, drastic measures must be taken into account. …show more content…
People perform virtuous acts based on their own personal moral reasoning. The end game for people is that they get what they want regardless of the course of action that is taken. Utilitarians, on the other hand, want the best course of action to occur regardless if it makes them happy or not. Utilitarians believe that people’s virtue is to be desired because it is a means to an ultimate end. I believe that Mill intended that people, in general, are selfish for happiness and Utilitarians are not. This is a convenient way to sway readers into having a more utilitarian
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Main Strengths of Mill's Utilitarianism
    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Main Strengths of Mill's Utilitarianism

    Mill separates pleasure into higher and lower as that he thinks some pleasure like higher is more for the soul and are long term and will benefit you as a person and the lower pleasures which are more material and offer short term pleasure but not the sort that lasts. He use the saying ‘Better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfies; Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied‘ to show the differences between the two pleasures as that you can be a human dissatisfied which is better than being a pig who is satisfied as that you are may not be happy or content but you are doing good which is better than someone who is happy and content but doing bad.…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Explain the Main Strengths of Mill's Utilitarianism
    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Explain the Main Strengths of Mill's Utilitarianism

    Mill separates pleasure into higher and lower as that he thinks some pleasure like higher is more for the soul and are long term and will benefit you as a person and the lower pleasures which are more material and offer short term pleasure but not the sort that lasts. He use the saying ‘Better to be a human dissatisfied than a pig satisfies; Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied‘ to show the differences between the two pleasures as that you can be a human dissatisfied which is better than being a pig who is satisfied as that you are may not be happy or content but you are doing good which is better than someone who is happy and content but doing bad. Mill is considered a rule utilitarian.…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of The Theory Of Utilitarianism By John Stuart Mill
    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Analysis Of The Theory Of Utilitarianism By John Stuart Mill

    “The creed which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness” (11). That quote is from “Utilitarianism” written by John Stuart Mill. Mill is noted in history as a man who pushed for radical change of social and legal principles using Utilitarianism as his guide. That quote sums up his belief in that theory. In this essay I will be discussing Mill, the theory of Utilitarianism and how that theory relates to contemporary ethical issues.…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism
    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages

    John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism

    In Mill’s Utilitarianism, he examines what determines an action to be considered right or wrong, his own version of the hedonistic utilitarianism argument. He claims that these qualities, including the quantity, are an important factor in determining, when included in the consequences, the criteria of an action. The consequences of ones actions are an important element in society, one that is based on cause and effect. When an action is committed, it is important for an individual to consider what the consequences will be, regardless of the motives, because when the action has gone through, the consequences will be held in th spotlight by society, regardless of the motives of the…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nazi Prisoner Doctors
    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Nazi Prisoner Doctors

    I think what he is saying that the things we desire such as a new car or a house with the white picket fence are a means to become happy. I think Mill, if offered special favors in return, would help the prisoners. Helping them is a means to special favors which is a means to being happy.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    John Stuart Mill Utilitarianism
    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages

    John Stuart Mill Utilitarianism

    John Stuart Mill was considered a Utilitarian. The philosophy of Utilitarianism is that an action should be decided by what is best for society. Mill’s philosophy was in part developed by his upbringing as a child. His childhood was restricted and he was raised in an enviroment where is emotionally needs were not met. Also his father was a friend of Jeremy Bentham. Bentham was a philosopher credited with starting the beginings of the Utiltarianism philosophy. He focused on the relationships between the social classes and working towards social reform. His philosophy focused more on social conditions and human behavior than previous philosophies had. He looked at practical solutions for societies problems and less on the metaphysical aspects…

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    John Stuart Mill: The Definition Of Morality
    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages

    John Stuart Mill: The Definition Of Morality

    An excerpt from Exploring Ethics, best exemplifies the comparison from Mill and Kant. Kant's ethical system concentrates exclusively on the reason for an action and does not take into account its results, Mill's system focuses only on consequences. Mill's explained "that this is the singularity is the basis in which you use to judge morality, with those being morally right being those that will manufacture the most happiness because in the end all humans seek happiness above everything else." He also argued that fame, money, and virtue could not replace happiness but could be used to obtain it. Mill’s believed that happiness is the guiding arch that drives…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Good and Evil in High Noon
    • 1373 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Good and Evil in High Noon

    Utilitarianism is an ethical theory most often ascribed to the philosopher John Stuart Mill. The utilitarian theory suggests actions and/or intentions are not right or wrong; rather the morality of a choice or act is determined by the outcome or result. Utilitarian’s believe outcomes can be determined in advance of an action and the ethical choice is one which provides the best result or most happiness for the greatest number of individuals (e.g., pleasure, happiness, health, knowledge, satisfaction). The utility theory asserts morality is a means to some other end, it does not stand on its own as being intrinsically moral.…

    • 1373 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    John Stuart Mill Happiness
    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages

    John Stuart Mill Happiness

    In the story “the pursuit of unhappiness” John Stuart Mill he believe that we should not look for happiness and we should do more to make others happy rather than our selfes. I agree and believe we should not look for happiness because we need to live our life not depending on a temporary feeling that is never, ever lasting. i strongly believe if it is true it will come to us without us having to search. it’s good to look our self's, but i believe we should not force happiness upon us if it is only momentary. Even if so the feeling is temporary we should try to give others that spark of joy in them by showing them good or helping them in a positive way. To end my opinion i agree with John Stuarts behalf that we should not search for our happiness and rather so give more than we get.…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Kant Vs Mill
    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Kant Vs Mill

    John Stuart Mill has a philosophy known as Utilitarianism. In this way of thinking, ethics are based on the maximization of pleasure. In other words, it's based on the consequences of a given action. The basic principle of Utilitarianism is that "actions are right in so far as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness" – happiness equals the absence of pain. Mill also touches on the fact that the quality, not only the quantity of pleasure matters. He illustrates this by saying it is "better to be a human…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mill's View of Lower/Higher Pleasures
    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Mill's View of Lower/Higher Pleasures

    Mill is a utilitarian philosopher who lives by the Greatest Happiness Principle, in which there is a clear distinction between both lower and higher pleasures. Though thoroughly explained, one must also question the justification of these pleasures. Many of these beliefs leave the reader hanging on the edge, with further questions that need to be answered. What is the exact distinction between the lower and higher pleasures? And how are higher pleasures measured as most valuable? How clearly is Mill’s view of lower and higher pleasures justified?…

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Mill's Utilitarianism
    • 1250 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Mill's Utilitarianism

    Both justice and utility have an argument for results that lead to fairness. Fairness in terms of justice can be seen as what doesn’t violate individual rights, and fairness in terms of utility does not place emphasis on the individual but society at large. Ideas such as impartiality, which justice should result from, can also be directly related and derived from utility. When acting to maximize utility, it is important to consider equally the interests of others, without being partial to your own interests. Justice demands the same criteria. By being partial we do not act just, and by being partial to ourselves we do not act to satisfy the greater good. Utilitarians must value what is most pleasurable for all, not just themselves, and agents of justice must value what respects the rights of others the most and sits well with the majority of society. By having moral rights, Mill sees this as something that we have a duty to protect for the greater good and to impose the most happiness, similar to what justice argues. It is desirable to act from utility. Some moral obligations to act in accordance with maximizing pleasure supersede acting to be just. Justice works to uphold the points in utility that receive greater weight on the scale, and serves as a platform to argue for utility, rather…

    • 1250 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mill's Utilitarianism
    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Mill's Utilitarianism

    This willingness to sacrifice one’s happiness is, according to Mill, the highest virtue. He also claims that maintaining such an attitude of willingness to sacrifice one’s own happiness is actually the best chance of gaining happiness because it will lead a person to be tranquil about his life. It is important to note that Mill is not arguing to promoting one’s individual happiness over others’ happiness. The utilitarian standard for judging an act is the happiness of all people, not of one particular person. Law and education help instill generosity and make sure that one doesn’t value his own happiness over the happiness of others.…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    John Stuart Mill And Utilitarianism
    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages

    John Stuart Mill And Utilitarianism

    Mill believes that an action is right and permissible when it causes the best consequence compared to its other choices or alternatives. Mill`s theory defenses utilitarianism that is the greatest happiness possible. Mill explains that the supreme principle of morality is the act that can produces`` as much happiness as possible, each person counting equally`` (118). According to his ethical theory, the only desirable and worthy thing at the end is degree of pleasure or happiness and freedom of pain. Mill points out that some types of pleasure are more valuable than others and mental pleasures have higher value compare with the bodily pleasures. There are two types of utilitarianism. 1- Act utilitarian that focuses on the effects of individual actions 2- rule utilitarian that focuses on the effects of types of actions. In fact, followers of utilitarianism find the right action by evaluating the consequences of that action and the total amount…

    • 1299 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Good Will And The Categorical Imperative Analysis
    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Good Will And The Categorical Imperative Analysis

    For instance, one criticism against Utilitarianism that Mill addresses is the assumption that happiness is not a realistic or logical standard to achieve. Here, Mill defends Utilitarianism by stating that this theory’s definition of happiness does not indicate a perfect life with no ups and downs. Instead, it represents more of a stable life where “a few transitory pains” (15) exist, but is mostly filled with happiness. Another criticism that Mill shut down, was the one that accused this philosophy of being unchristian-like because it resolves around a person’s happiness and the consequences that bring the most pleasure. Mill’s response was that Utilitarianism, in fact, places the happiness of everyone whom it may concern above one’s own happiness. The author continues and even asserts that “[i]n the golden rule of Jesus of Nazareth, we read the complete spirit of the ethics of utilitarianism. To do as you would have other do unto you, and to love your neighbor as yourself, constitute the ideal perfection of utilitarian morality” (18). Nevertheless, arguing that utilitarianism underlies some of the basics included in the Christian religion. Interestingly enough, an additional criticism of Utilitarian states that it is unfeasible because it demands quite the thought process and time in order to decide which actions will serve all the best. The author believes this is silly because mankind, for several centuries, has had more than enough time and experience to quickly distinguish the best decision amongst a set of options (21). Although these are only three of the criticisms that Mill tackles, he truly does defend Utilitarianism from every…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics