The Greatest Happiness Principle
John Stuart Mill's utilitarianism centers on the greatest happiness principle, which posits that actions are right if they promote happiness and wrong if they produce unhappiness. Happiness is defined as pleasure and the absence of pain, making utility the ultimate moral standard for evaluating ethical choices.
Higher and Lower Pleasures
Mill distinguishes between higher intellectual pleasures, such as those from art, music, or philosophy, and lower sensual pleasures, like eating or physical comfort. He argues that higher pleasures are superior, as evidenced by competent judges who prefer them, emphasizing quality over mere quantity in assessing happiness.
Impartiality and Consequentialism
Utilitarianism requires impartial consideration of everyone's happiness equally, without favoritism based on personal relations. As a consequentialist theory, it judges actions by their outcomes rather than intentions, focusing on the overall balance of pleasure and pain for the greatest number.
Applications and Criticisms
In practice, Mill's principles guide policies like public health reforms or environmental protections by weighing collective well-being. While influential in ethics and law, critics argue it may justify harming minorities for majority benefit, though Mill counters this by prioritizing justice and individual rights within utilitarian frameworks.