PHIL 320A Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: John Stuart Mill
30 Aug 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
5
- it would be absurd to assume that just quantity of pleasure alone should be considered
- how to decide between two pleasures which has more quality — if there is one which all or
almost all who have experienced would give preference to, that is the more desirable pleasure
- no human would choose to turn into a lesser animal for the fulfillment of a beast’s pleasures
- all human beings posses a sense of dignity in one form or another
- if one claims that the superior being is not happier than the inferior being confounds the two
very different ideas of happiness and content
- the one with higher capacities has more room for imperfect happiness
- it is better to be a human being unsatisfied than a pig satisfied
- possible objection — many who are capable of higher pleasures when under the influence of
temptation postpone to the lower
- response: but this is quite compatible with the full appreciation of superiority
- men would prefer mental pleasure over bodily
- another objection — youth begin with enthusiasm then as they advance into later years, sink
into selfishness
- response: those who undergo this common change devote themselves exclusively to bodily
pleasures because they are incapable of mental pleasures
- they will devote themselves to lower bodily pleasures not because they deliberately prefer
them, but because they are either the only ones they have access to or the only ones they are
longer capable of enjoying
- final verdict — mental pleasures are superior to bodily pleasures
- utility is not in regard’s to the agents own happiness, but happiness altogether
- Utilitarianism can only reach its end by way of the noblest character
- greatest happiness principle — the ultimate end is as far away as possible from pain
Document Summary
It would be absurd to assume that just quantity of pleasure alone should be considered. How to decide between two pleasures which has more quality if there is one which all or almost all who have experienced would give preference to, that is the more desirable pleasure. No human would choose to turn into a lesser animal for the fulfillment of a beast"s pleasures. All human beings posses a sense of dignity in one form or another. If one claims that the superior being is not happier than the inferior being confounds the two very different ideas of happiness and content. The one with higher capacities has more room for imperfect happiness. It is better to be a human being unsatisfied than a pig satisfied. Possible objection many who are capable of higher pleasures when under the influence of temptation postpone to the lower. Response: but this is quite compatible with the full appreciation of superiority.
