o What is Mill’s principle of utility? What does he mean by “utility?”
o How does Mill explain the fact that some people choose lower pleasures over higher pleasures? Do you agree with his assessment?
John Stuart Mill portrays the idea that there are lower and higher pleasures in life. He also thinks that desiring something and thinking something is pleasant are the exact same thing. There is a difference between the sum of pleasures and seeking higher pleasures. In the excerpt from “Utilitarianism” Mills states “It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.” He goes on to explain that if the pig or fool disagree then its only because they only know their own side. Mill’s is trying to convey the point that if you have higher learning and aspirations and you keep those going then you will know more about the higher levels of pleasure, and you will continually pursue those pleasures because of your understanding of the world around you. Mills also says that people who only shoot for the low pleasures in life are only there because they don’t have the understanding of higher pleasures. So they started life pursuing higher pleasures but then lost sight of it for the need of sustenance and then once they stopped using their mind they slowly lose their way and then lower pleasures are the only thing that they are able to enjoy any longer.
Utilitarianism is a theory in normative ethics holding that the best moral action is the one that maximizes utility. And what I have gathered is that Mills definition of utility is that higher pleasures are based off of your virtue, and how you positively impact society on a large scale and individuals on a small scale.
I think Mills has some solid points in that it is better to be more intelligent than say a monkey, because then you have the intelligence and mental capacity to enjoy things that the monkey is just unable to. But at the same time I think life and pleasures can be enjoyed just as much from a simple viewpoint over that of an educated scholar who has dedicated his whole life to learning.
bryanhorsting 