Module 8: Mill and Utilitarianism

1. Module 8: Mill and Utilitarianism Philosophy 240: Introductory Ethics Online CCBC Author: Daniel G. Jenkins, MA Updated May 2008

2. This module is meant to accompany “Chapter 7: The Debate Over Utilitarianism” in Rachels’ The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 5th edition. Module Goals: After completing readings, presentations, discussions, and coursework for this module, you will be able to: • Identify and explain core aspects of Mill’s ethics • Apply Mill’s ethics in moral decision-making • Analyze the usefulness and critique features of Mill’s ethics • Synthesize Mill’s ethics with other theories in the academic study of ethics

3. In Module 7 we introduced Utilitarianism, and explored Jeremy Bentham’s Hedonistic Calculus. It was noted that one of the chief problems of Utilitarianism as formulated by Bentham was its exclusive emphasis on quantity over quality of pleasure. This is a problem addressed by the Utilitarianism of Bentham’s student, John Stuart Mill.

4. John Stuart Mill • John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 8 May 1873), British philosopher, political economist, civil servant and member of Parliament, was an influential liberal thinker of the 19th century. Mill was the godson of Jeremy Bentham, who fostered his education. • He wrote on the subjection of women, and became a predecessor of contemporary feminism. He was elected to parliament in 1865, where he fought for the exploited Jamaicans of African descent, and he also tried to increase the power of the working class in England and redistribute lands in Ireland.

5. J.S. Mill

6. Revising Utilitarianism • Mill was a Utilitarian, but wanted to revise the philosophy developed by Bentham • Mill thought Bentham’s chief error was focusing on quantity of pleasure • Mill thought ethics should focus instead on quality of pleasure

7. Higher and Lower Pleasures • Mill divides pleasures into higher and lower categories • Higher pleasures are inexpensive, enriching and long-lasting • Lower pleasures are expensive, damaging, and short-lived

8. Higher and Higher • For example, say your friends invite you out for a night on the town while you are studying your Philosophy. • A night of drinking drains your wallet, your health, may damage your reputation, impairs your ability to function optimally the next day, and the fun of it lasts only a short while. • But studying your Philosophy is free, enhances your ability to understand and think critically about the world, and produces long-lasting benefits

9. We Ought Pursue Higher Pleasures • Mill thought that only the higher pleasures have real value • The higher pleasures appeal to our uniquely human sensibilities • People who have experienced both higher and lower pleasures prefer the higher pleasures

10. Superior and Inferior People • Mill also draws a distinction between superior and inferior people • The inferior type derives pleasure in lower, base things • The superior type pursues higher pleasures and regard most sources of happiness in the world as imperfect

11. “Better to be Socrates…” • Mill acknowledges that everyone can sometimes pursue lower pleasures, even if they are acquainted with higher pleasures • But we would not consider a good life good without the higher pleasures • And it is better to pursue the higher pleasures and fail than the lower pleasures and succeed. As Mill says: “It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.”

12. The Moral Pursuit • Mill asserted that the standard of goodness in behavior involves the fulfillment not of pleasure, but of our distinctively human faculties. • The degree to which we live the moral life is proportionate to the happiness we derive in truly being human, not in the amount of pleasure we experience. • Only the higher pleasures satisfy our uniquely human capacities • Hence pursuit of the higher pleasures should be the goal of our moral behavior

13. The Greatest Happiness • Mill says we must truly be interested in the happiness of all; our happiness is linked intricately with the happiness of others • The right thing to do in a particular instance is not to promote my immediate happiness; the interests of the individual should be complementary to the whole, not in competition • When what is in the interest of the individual is in the interest of society and vice versa, a harmonious balance is struck. • Hence for Mill, the good consisted in generating the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. • In this formulation, the greatest happiness consists in the higher pleasures. This is Mill’s Greatest Happiness Principle.

14. The Essence of Morality • We ought to behave such that we promote the greatest happiness (higher pleasures) for the greatest number of people. • The essence of morality is Mill’s Greatest Happiness Principle • Even though we call it a principle, Mill is a consequentialist; only if actions stemming from this principle produce good consequences have we behaved morally; intent alone is meaningless

15. The Meaning of Happiness • Personal sacrifice for the common good may be necessary • Happiness is not intense enjoyment all the time As Mill himself writes in Utilitarianism, happiness is: “not a life of rapture, but moments of such, in an existence made up of few and transitory pains, many and various pleasures, with a decided predominance of the active over the passive, and having as the foundation of the whole not to expect more from life than it is capable of bestowing.”

16. Rejecting the Calculus • Bentham believed we could identify objectively in the spirit of science the moral act in any given situation using the hedonistic calculus • But Mill thought that pleasure and pain could not be calculated. He thought that pleasure and pain are incommensurable • We cannot decide which is the more intense of two pleasures, or the acutest of two pains, without drawing on experience

17. Conquering Unhappiness • Mill also thought that the great sources of unhappiness in the world can be eradicated, such as disease, poverty, etc. • As for people who seemingly have no cause to suffer, he maintains that “for those fortunate in their outward lot who do not find in life sufficient enjoyment to make it valuable to them, the cause is generally caring for no one but themselves.”

18. Why Should We Accept the Greatest Happiness Principle? • Mill says our feeling for humanity, our conscience, moves us to accept the Greatest Happiness Principle • This feeling serves to place us in unity with our fellow men and women and makes us sympathetic towards them in such a way as to make the building of a happy and harmonious world possible.

19. Justice • Mill, like Bentham, thought the aim of justice should be rehabilitation; whatever was necessary to prevent someone from committing that crime in the future • But Mill also thought that sometimes the death penalty was necessary to prevent future recidivism • Also, Mill thought democracy the best form of government provided the majority did not oppress the minority: the only time it is permissible to interfere in the liberty of others is when it would result in harm to others to do otherwise

20. Criticism • Only consequences matter; our ability to behave morally depends on our ability to successfully predict the future • The distinction between higher and lower pleasures and superior and inferior people may be intellectually elitist • Intent matters • In promoting the greatest good for the greatest number, we set the stage to take advantage of the minority, even though Mill says we shouldn’t

21. But Still, a Framework • What is good about both Bentham and Mill’s Utilitarianism is that they attempt to provide a framework for ethical decision-making as opposed to simply focusing on helping us develop character. • We’re left with a sense that consequences are not the only things that matter. To look beyond consequence for an account of principle and intent, we will turn to Immanuel Kant in Module 9.

22. Summary • John Stuart Mill was a British philosopher, political economist, civil servant and Member of Parliament, was an influential liberal thinker of the 19th century. In addition to being an important philosopher, Mill was an advocate of social and gender equality, and wrote on the subjection of women. Mill attempted to rectify problems with the Utilitarian theory of his mentor, Jeremy Bentham. Mill noted that Bentham made no mention of quality of pleasure, emphasizing only quantity of pleasure. Thus, Mill distinguished between higher and lower pleasures and superior and inferior people, respectively, and came to understand the moral good as that which tended to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Mill’s theory can be criticized on the grounds that it is intellectually elitist, not unlike Plato’s ethical theory, and that Utilitarianism in general seems to demand we foresee all outcomes of our actions. • If the subject interests you further, consult Mill’s Utilitarianism, available free on the web at: http://www.utilitarianism.com/mill1.htm

23. Congratulations! You’ve just completed the presentation for Module 8. Once you have also completed the assigned reading from the textbook, please proceed to the “Assignments” and “Discussion” tabs in WebCT to complete relevant coursework for this module. If you have any questions please contact me.