...How adequate is Mill’s conception of happiness? How good are his arguments to show that “higher” pleasures are intrinsically more desirable than “lower” ones? Is this distinction consistent with the thesis that pleasure is the only thing of value? In “Utilitarianism” Mill argues that ‘higher’ pleasures are intrinsically more valuable than ‘lower’ pleasures, citing the invariable preference of men who have access to both available (pp.140). I am inclined to disagree, particularly with regards to his assertion that ‘higher’ pleasures have such a “superiority of quality”(pp.139), so as to render any quantity of ‘lower’ pleasures “in comparison, of small account”- this non-cardinal view of pleasure raises many discontinuities. This is particularly the case when we take Mill at his word: “actions are right in proportion as they tend to increase happiness… By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain”(pp.137), and view pleasure as the only good. It is the twin beliefs; of pleasure as the only good-making exercise and Mill’s non-cardinal conception of pleasure that form the core of my disagreement with Mill. I will begin by presenting Mill’s arguments for intrinsically more valuable ‘higher’ pleasures and evaluating them. To support his assertion that ‘higher’ pleasures are intrinsically more valuable, Mill asks the reader to consider a thought experiment. Would an “intelligent human being… consent to be changed into a fool”(p.139), if they could be persuaded that the...
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...belongs to Hedonism. If one experience more happiness during life, his life will be better. The more happiness you experience, the better your life is. There are actually two schools of thought here, Narrow Hedonism and Preference Hedonism, each with its own definition of happiness. Narrow Hedonism deems happiness a homogeneous state of pleasure, while Preference Hedonism expands the definition to include any state of mind favored by the individual, including pain (yes, pain is happiness, for some). However, the two schools are united in their focus on mental states, which as you will see is a silly idea. Hedonism is a way of life, characterised by openness to pleasurable experience. There are many qualms about hedonism. It is rejected on moral grounds and said to be detrimental to long-term happiness. Several mechanisms for this 'paradox of hedonism' have been suggested and telling examples of pleasure seekers ending up in despair have been given. The relation between hedonism and happiness has been studied at two levels: that of the nation and the individual. At the national level average happiness is correlated with moral acceptance of pleasure and with active leisure. At the individual level it is similarly linked with hedonistic attitudes and also correlated with hedonistic behaviours such as frequent sex and use of stimulants. In this essay, it will firstly discuss what is hedonism, including the two catories Narrow hedonism and Preference hedonism. Following this, it will...
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...judging actions right or wrong according to their outcome. Many scientists, politicians and philosophers have expressed concern that the world is facing an environmental catastrophe. If this is to be believed, an ethical theory that focuses on the results of our actions seems most appropriate. Utilitarianism is able to take into account the risks to the environment of global warming, ozone depletion, pollution, deforestation etc. Traditional utilitarianism would have done that using Bentham’s Hedonic Calculus. Bentham would have asked how likely it was that certain results would occur. He would have weighed up the benefits of any proposed action, such as the building of a new motorway, against the adverse affects, focussing on the pleasure and pain that resulted, and nothing else. This sort of calculation is practical and flexible, allowing for a different answer in every different set of circumstances. For example, building a road in Rwanda might lead to increased trade, a way of transporting important materials, medicines etc – in other words, a lifeline. The destruction of wildlife in such an underdeveloped country might be negligible, and the pollution minimal. However, a similar road in the UK might run through residential areas. The pollution from the thousands of cars might have a significant impact in a more densely populated area. The benefits might simply be convenience and a reduction of travel time. It is unlikely to be of huge benefit, as there are already...
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...judging actions right or wrong according to their outcome. Many scientists, politicians and philosophers have expressed concern that the world is facing an environmental catastrophe. If this is to be believed, an ethical theory that focuses on the results of our actions seems most appropriate. Utilitarianism is able to take into account the risks to the environment of global warming, ozone depletion, pollution, deforestation etc. Traditional utilitarianism would have done that using Bentham’s Hedonic Calculus. Bentham would have asked how likely it was that certain results would occur. He would have weighed up the benefits of any proposed action, such as the building of a new motorway, against the adverse affects, focussing on the pleasure and pain that resulted, and nothing else. This sort of calculation is practical and flexible, allowing for a different answer in every different set of circumstances. For example, building a road in Rwanda might lead to increased trade, a way of transporting important materials, medicines etc – in other words, a lifeline. The destruction of wildlife in such an underdeveloped country might be negligible, and the pollution minimal. However, a similar road in the UK might run through residential areas. The pollution from the thousands of cars might have a significant impact in a more densely populated area. The benefits might simply be convenience and a reduction of travel time. It is unlikely to be of huge benefit, as there are already...
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...of having self-control? This should be the question of every college student that does not spend their education time wisely. In today’s society, media and social network seem to be the main focus of most college students with low self-control. For those that have low self-control there is less time used focusing on learning. Research on decision making suggest that if college students are left to their own devices they will choose to spend their time on guilty pleasures rather than class work. This paper will support Panek’s theory that, “interaction between the high choice media environment and user’s low self- control accounts for decline in learning among college students”(Panek, 2013). In the article Panek shows that students with low self-control choose immediate gratification and forfeit the benefits of waiting the long term. Panek (2013) noted, guilty pleasure appeals and take up a majority of the time that could be spent on learning. He says, “guilty pleasures appeals to one desire for immediate pleasure rather than one’s belief that they should partake of a product or experience so as to obtain long-term benefits” (Panek, 2013, p.563). Panek used a review of literature on temptation and self-control and self-control and media choice to prove his hypothesis. Panek, (2013) suggested that the college students that overuse are aware of the overuse of leisure because they have no self-control. Panek (2013) admitted that because of the small population that they interviewed...
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...that we accept to be valid. This does not mean, however, that we should judge first principles randomly. Instead, we should evaluate them rationally. Mill notices that there are many people who misunderstand utilitarianism by interpreting utility as in opposition to pleasure. On the contrary, utility is defined as pleasure itself and the absence of pain. The Great Happiness Principle holds that “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness”. He goes on to state that the term happiness refers to pleasure and absence of pain and the term unhappiness to pain itself and the absence of pleasure. Therefore, pleasure and the absence of pain are the only things desirable as ends. So any other event, action or experience is desirable, only because it is pleasure in itself or it is simply a source for such pleasure i.e. it helps in promoting pleasure. Mill goes on to criticize those who reduce the meaning of life to pleasure only, as being submissive and demeaning. He goes on to explain that such a claim assumes “ human beings to be capable of no pleasures except those of which swine are capable” . On the contrary, Mill believes that human pleasures are much superior than those of animals. Their faculties are more elevated than...
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...intellectual tastes, because they have no time or opportunity for indulging them; and they addict themselves to inferior pleasures, not because they deliberately prefer them, but because they are either the only ones to which they have access, or the only ones which they are any longer capable of enjoying.” This quote is especially important for understanding Mill’s defense of utilitarianism in front of critiques that suggest this doctrine to be one of immediate pleasure; a doctrine that will stop people from accelerating their development and enriching their character through knowledge. The critique addresses the focus of utilitarianism as a doctrine that emphasizes immediate and animalistic pleasures and turns them into the main reason for being. Mill’s response is trying to reconcile the idea of a dual man, one that enjoys animalistic pleasures as well as, what the author calls, superior pleasures that come with knowledge and experience. The argument proposes the idea of a bifocal man, capable of both superior and inferior pleasures. The explanation offered in this quote explains the subordination relationship between the two, and how man is capable of avoiding regression into his/hers animalistic instinct without giving up the non-refined pleasure of life. Mill’s hypothesis is that a person is always going to choose the elevated, educated pleasure over the inferior one, because once taste is acquired of the first, the latter becomes unsatisfactory. However, he accepts...
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...better. It is surprising, then, that the most plausible form of hedonism is desire satisfactionism. The hedonism theory focuses on pleasure/happiness while the desire-satisfaction theory elucidates the relevance of fulfilling our desires. Pleasure, in some points of view is the subjective satisfaction of desire. I will explain the similarities and the differences between the desire-satisfaction theory of value and hedonism. I will also discuss the most successful theory and defend my argument by explaining how the theory avoids the objections raised against it. Similarities between the desire-satisfaction theory of value and hedonism Both the desire satisfaction theory and the hedonism theory suggest that our subjective states are the major determinants of the measure of a good life. The subjective states in this case include happiness or pleasure and our desires. Our pleasures are determined by the desire satisfaction theory while happiness is achieved through the hedonism theory. Both theories are dependent on positive values which are the sole intrinsic causes of good life. Differences between the desire-satisfaction theory of value and hedonism The hedonism theory is a deeply important theory of the good. According to hedonism theory, happiness or pleasure is the only thing with intrinsic value. Arguments related to hedonism state that pleasure is very sensational and comes in different quantities. The hedonist argues that a good life is full of happiness and negligible amount...
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...John Stuart Mill; respecting freedom and rights is seen as an approach of Kantian deontology and Immanuel Kant, while the last is seen as an approach of Aristotelian thinking and Aristotle. According to Mill, a utilitarian, he would have argued that missing class for any reason is morally permissible. He backs this up by saying the ends justify the means, which is saying that the end result is what justifies the motive because Mills was a consequentialist who placed emphasis on the outcome of an act. So in the case of missing a class, for example skipping class to study for a test, he is able to justify it by citing the greatest happiness principle, which states, “We ought to do what which produces the greatest amount of happiness or pleasure (for the greatest number of people)”(notes). This states that by not going to class it’s creating the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people (the class) because if the student was in the class and was trying to study it would probably annoy, distract and frustrate the class, taking away happiness and replacing it with pain. So it’s justified because the only way there can be happiness is with the absence of pain. By having the student missing the class, he not only allows the class to have the greatest amount of...
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...proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure, and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain, and the privation of pleasure” (29). There are two main camps of utilitarians: act and rule utilitarians. Act utilitarians believe that an act is right if and only if it results in more good than any alternative, while rule utilitarians believe that an act is right if and only if it is required by a rule that generally leads to the greatest good. Either way, utilitarianism provides a single, objective, common-sense way to understand which actions are right and which are wrong. It also promotes flourishing and reduces suffering. The primary argument for utilitarianism is this: An action is right if and only if it maximizes the consequences of whatever is considered good over whatever is considered bad. The only good is happiness. So, an action is right if and only if it maximizes happiness. Premise one is the basic theory; a decision or action is deemed “right” if it brings happiness to the most people. In premise two, happiness is defined in the same way Rachels and Rachels defined it, and can come from many sources. For example, material pleasure, like receiving a gift, is happiness (pleasures like these are sometimes referred to as “lower” pleasures). Higher pleasures could be things like a sense of accomplishment or intellectual...
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...people, unaware of the dark or disappointing aspects of existence, take blissful pleasure in small, insignificant things like a sunny day or a blueberry waffle. They spend their days with dumb looking grins on their faces, talking about unimportant, simple pleasures. The second level of intelligence is made up of people who are smart enough to have a notable understanding of those complexities of the universe and that deep suffering that humanity has endured. With their grasp on the bleakness of existence, they see no emotion in a sunny day, knowing full well that emotions are nothing more than chemical reactions in our brains, triggered by our environment to help dictate our actions in ways that might benefit our species. They fail to see the point in that blueberry waffle, knowing that at any given time, uncounted people around the world are dying of hunger caused by corruption. People within the third level of intelligence are also aware of these detailed and dreary points of our world. They understand the moral failure that so much of our planet endures. They know about the distant, permanently undiscovered details of the universe that are so vast and numerous, they masquerade as a great, black emptiness to our simple, mortal minds. Yet, these people who are completely aware of the dark or disappointing aspects of existence, have the extensive intelligence that is needed to take blissful pleasure in small, insignificant things like a sunny day or a blueberry waffle. They...
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...making moral decisions. Utilitarianism attempts to solve both of these difficulties by appealing to experience; however, no method of reconciling an individual decision with the rules of experience is suggested, and no relative weights are assigned to the In deciding whether or not to torture a terrorist who has planted a bomb in New York City, a utilitarian must evaluate both the overall welfare of the people involved or effected by the action taken, and the consequences of the action taken. To calculate the welfare of the people involved in or effected by an action, utilitarianism requires that all individuals be considered equally. Quantitative utilitarians would weigh the pleasure and pain which would be caused by the bomb exploding against the pleasure and pain that would be caused by torturing the terrorist. Then, the amounts would be summed and compared. The problem with this method is that it is impossible to know beforehand how much pain would be caused by the bomb exploding or how much pain would be caused by the torture. Utilitarianism offers no practical way to make the interpersonal comparison of utility necessary to compare the pains. In the case of the bomb exploding, it at least seems highly probable that a greater amount of pain would be caused, at least in the present, by the bomb exploding. This probability suffices for a quantitative utilitarian, but it...
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...happiness, the hierarchy of pleasures, and the impartial spectator. The foundation of Utilitarianism lays in Mill’s definition of happiness and the Greatest Happiness Principle. Mill defines happiness as the promotion of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. After defining happiness, Mill provides what he calls the “creed” of the foundation of Utilitarianism, the Greatest Happiness Principle. The Greatest Happiness Principle holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. The Greatest Happiness Principle uses an utilitarian standard; for that standard is not the agent’s own greatest happiness, but the greatest amount of happiness altogether; and if it may possibly be doubted whether a noble character is always the happier for its nobleness, there can be no doubt that it makes other people happier, and that the world in general is immensely a gainer by it (Mill 516). Mill states that humans are able to experience a higher level of pleasure than animals in the statement: “To suppose that life has (as they express it) no higher end than pleasure—no better and nobler object of desire and pursuit—they designate as utterly mean and groveling, as a doctrine worthy only of swine” (Mill 519). When Mill separates the pleasures between human and animal, he creates a hierarchy of pleasure, with human pleasure at the top. The reason that human pleasure is more valuable than animal pleasure is that humans can...
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...In Chapter 1 of the text, Kupperman (2006) makes several introductory cases concerning one’s pursuit for the Good Life through the construct of pleasure. The author goes through the lens of Csikszentmihalyi Flow Theory as well as other beliefs such as Buddhism and hedonism to showcase how pleasure can be obtained through different mediums, such as skill acquisition, doing activities that are pleasurable and comforting, or sacrificing personal desires on the behalf of serving others. From this conversation, the author expresses a few ideas that explain why the constant pursuit for pleasure does not always lead to a life of joy, happiness, or fulfillment for several reasons. One of them involves the issue that the negating of moderation of pleasurable...
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