Ebook91 pages1 hour
Utilitarianism
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
Philosopher, son of James Mill, born in London, was educated by his father with the view of making him the successor of Bentham and himself, as the exponent of the Utilitarian philosophy. In all respects he proved an apt pupil, and by his 15th year had studied classical literature, logic, political economy, and mathematics. In that year he went to France, where he was under the charge of Sir S. Bentham, a brother of Jeremy. His studies had led him to the adoption of the utilitarian philosophy, and after his return he became acquainted with Grote, the Austins, and other Benthamites.
In 1823 he entered the India House as a clerk, and, like his father, rose to be examiner of Indian correspondence; and, on the dissolution of the Company, retired on a liberal pension. In 1825 he edited Bentham’s Rationale of Judicial Evidence. During the following years he was a frequent contributor to Radical journals, and edited the London Review. His Logic appeared in 1843, and produced a profound impression; and in 1848 he published Principles of Political Economy. The years between 1858 and 1865 were very productive, his treatises on Liberty, Utilitarianism, Representative Government, and his Examination of Sir W. Hamilton’s Philosophy being published during this period. In 1865 he entered the House of Commons as one of the members for Westminster, where, though highly respected, he made no great mark. After this political parenthesis he returned to his literary pursuits, and wrote The Subjection of Women [1869], The Irish Land Question [1870], and an Autobiography. Mill had married in 1851 Mrs. Taylor, for whom he showed an extraordinary devotion, and whom he survived for 15 years. He died at Avignon.
His Autobiography gives a singular, and in some respects painful account of the methods and views of his father in his education. Though remaining all his life an adherent of the utilitarian philosophy, Mill did not transmit it to his disciples altogether unmodified, but, finding it too narrow and rigid for his own intellectual and moral requirements, devoted himself to widening it, and infusing into it a certain element of idealism.
In 1823 he entered the India House as a clerk, and, like his father, rose to be examiner of Indian correspondence; and, on the dissolution of the Company, retired on a liberal pension. In 1825 he edited Bentham’s Rationale of Judicial Evidence. During the following years he was a frequent contributor to Radical journals, and edited the London Review. His Logic appeared in 1843, and produced a profound impression; and in 1848 he published Principles of Political Economy. The years between 1858 and 1865 were very productive, his treatises on Liberty, Utilitarianism, Representative Government, and his Examination of Sir W. Hamilton’s Philosophy being published during this period. In 1865 he entered the House of Commons as one of the members for Westminster, where, though highly respected, he made no great mark. After this political parenthesis he returned to his literary pursuits, and wrote The Subjection of Women [1869], The Irish Land Question [1870], and an Autobiography. Mill had married in 1851 Mrs. Taylor, for whom he showed an extraordinary devotion, and whom he survived for 15 years. He died at Avignon.
His Autobiography gives a singular, and in some respects painful account of the methods and views of his father in his education. Though remaining all his life an adherent of the utilitarian philosophy, Mill did not transmit it to his disciples altogether unmodified, but, finding it too narrow and rigid for his own intellectual and moral requirements, devoted himself to widening it, and infusing into it a certain element of idealism.
Read more from John Stuart Mill
Autobiography of John Stuart Mill Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Utilitarianism Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5On Liberty & Utilitarianism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A System of Logic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUtilitarianism Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Harvard Classics: All 71 Volumes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUtilitarianism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Principles of Political Economy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUtilitarianism (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Greatest Happiness Principle - Utilitarianism, On Liberty & The Subjection of Women: The Principle of the Greatest-Happiness: What Is Utilitarianism (Proofs & Principles), Civil & Social Liberty, Liberty of Thought, Individuality & Individual Freedom, Utilitarian Feminism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJohn Stuart Mill: The Major Works (Centaur Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe John Stuart Mill Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Subjection of Women Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEssays on Sex Equality Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA System of Logic: Ratiocinative and Inductive 7th Edition, Vol. II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUtilitarianism (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A System Of Logic, Ratiocinative And Inductive Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAutobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A System of Logic [Halls of Wisdom] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe John Stuart Mill Collection: Works on Philosophy, Politics & Economy (Including Memoirs & Essays) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSocialism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTen Books Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConsiderations on Representative Government Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Three Essays on Religion (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A System Of Logic, Ratiocinative And Inductive (Vol. 1 of 2) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Utilitarianism
Related ebooks
Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kant’s Critiques: The Critique of Pure Reason; The Critique of Practical Reason; The Critique of Judgement Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Kant: Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Treatise On Human Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals (Translated by Thomas Kingsmill Abbott) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ethics: The Fundamentals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDelphi Collected Works of René Descartes (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUtilitarianism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nicomachean Ethics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Critique of Practical Reason Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant - Delphi Classics (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMoral and Political Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Politics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Meditation on First Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Critique of Pure Reason Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsApology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Liberty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Five Dialogues Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Social Contract Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Logic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Philosophy For You
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations: Complete and Unabridged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denial of Death Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Courage to Be Happy: Discover the Power of Positive Psychology and Choose Happiness Every Day Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Loving Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History of Western Philosophy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Human Condition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be Here Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bhagavad Gita (in English): The Authentic English Translation for Accurate and Unbiased Understanding Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tao Te Ching: Six Translations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Buddha's Guide to Gratitude: The Life-changing Power of Everyday Mindfulness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bhagavad Gita Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Course in Miracles: Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inward Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Utilitarianism
Rating: 3.4335665048951047 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
286 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The trouble with Mill is that you if read a few of his then-contemporary critics, and then you think you have his measure with all your modern day access to knowledge, but all along he was throwing "mind grenades" set on "delay" and they sit in your head while you go on thinking you are rather smart. So Mill mentions the Stoics and how virtue is only a means to happiness and that there are other things, too. He mentions the Sophists and how Socrates (allegedly) challenged their ancient equivalent of what is happening in higher education today. But in mentioning the development of utilitarianism from Epicurus to Bentham (and unfortunately I have not read Bentham cover-to-cover as I will do in the future), so just when I think to myself: "Mill, you really are 'drawing a long bow here' [a favourite saying of one of my favourite professors]", the mind grenade goes off and my hubris is dashed and I am glad I didn't say it out loud but there you have it - it was certainly there. There is no mention of Aristotle and the "golden mean" and how achieving a mean across the spectrum of virtues achieves happiness, but, as Mill says, there are many things that amount to happiness in addition to leading a virtuous life, so bringing up Aristotle doesn't make a good deal of sense. One interesting aspect of the essay is the long note in the last few pages where Mill extends a good deal of courtesy to Herbert Spencer, someone I have read more about in Jack London's Martin Eden than I ever did in all the other secondary sources I have read put together. While Mill does not quite agree with Spencer, Spencer claims (according to Mill) that he was never against the doctrine of utilitarianism. So the Greatest Happiness Principle it is but if we do not also take into account Mill's ideas of liberty (in On Liberty), then the present-day situation where we are told what to like and what will make us happy and many of us go along with that and eat our smashed avocado, living in our high density housing, and paying for cups of coffee that we could make at home for a fraction of the price, which are not only much better, but we could also be happier because we were actually doing something for ourselves, while, as Tolstoy or even my mother would say, "in reality", we are succumbing to the biggest scam ever and then wondering why we are not happy at all. And J.S. Mill says all this in just under 122 pages of thick paper dating from 1895, which is nice, but with each cover-to-cover completion of classic works I edge ever-closer to the abyss of what I don't know and it scares me.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not my favorite of Mill's writings, but this one is definitely a bit more complex than the excerpts in textbooks would suggest. It is not a long read, and if not entertaining, it is at least well enough written to be readable without too much tedium. Mill does tend to repeat himself a lot, as do a lot of authors from his time, but it is interesting to see what ideas he promotes besides the notion of utilitarianism in this document.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Okay, I'm not sure what to say about this. It's like milk; it's good for you, but can leave you bloated and gassy and the cover is totally uninspiring. Most of the writing is equally uninspiring. I recommend 2 minutes of Utilitarianism followed by 20 minutes of Googling gossipy facts about Mill.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mill's inspired attempt to rescue, revive, & update Bentham's raw Enlightenment utilitarianism. As fundamental to modern ethics as On Liberty is to modern political thought, Utilitarianism surely is a more controversial & flawed text. Notably, Mill's attempt to found "higher" vs "lower" forms of pleasure philosophically, essential to his entire project, is not just unconvincing; its thinness is conspicuously at odds with the robustness built into so much of his other work.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dense at some points, but an interesting read that's a perfect primer on the foundations of utilitarianism. If you're at all interested in the topics considered, particularly intersections of ideas of justice with utilitarian principles, I recommend this. Mill also gives an interesting look at perceptions and basis of the idea of "justice" that might be of interest to readers who aren't directly interested the utilitarian philosophy.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Okay, so in one way Utilitarianism is the manifesto, the ludicrous 19th-century positivist lego castle where Mill tries - as-fucking-if - to construct his expediency argument from first principles, and On Liberty is where he gets real with you, like "but of course in the actual non-theoretical world it's more like-a this. Minority rights." But on the other hand, there's this: "The truths which are ultimately accepted as the first principles of a science, are really the last results of metaphysical analysis, practised on the elementary notions with which the science is conversant; and their relation to the science is not that of foundations to an edifice, but of roots to a tree, which may perform their office equally well though they be never dug down to and exposed to light."Oooooooooh. What an amazingly utilitarian approach to theory and the foundations of knowledge in your utilitarianism book, John. This essay puts its own discomfort with isms aside in the name of a systematic sanity that's probably the only kind that had a chance of going over with Mill's Victorian peers. It sure as shit isn't the last word in morals that it postures at being, but hey, man: Do something that leads to an increase of pleasure and a decrease of pain in your world today. You won't be sorry. Hug a seal.
Book preview
Utilitarianism - John Stuart Mill
Gf ^ book_preview_excerpt.html }Y]ܶ+D_
Tm"M;ȕ+JBsfHIws.?3gΜ}7.߹jټ-?6|ZMOw_>L7ee\h[ݯ^Ĥ
k7,={dvuj 4< 8?c'6pq)wXju=N|MA<ڬvtpp
^Gl$Of0o[hobs\{'R\GޥЎelN1ԧ |kg`qKll n{,AԉOK י|=7}Y|E_x5M|'/'d ㄅMNa5W)Ħ0fG'g&Gzbfwg?}c P - ]
dpvD/d4ГEإ SDjX})s}~kn0dEyyBmq^[!^@ t"Q;SQ(G$fOT;ٰA{[OUã!kvdTrW =3nAw$o|2Ͻe<VUQXM,GIxT8R`Qd{ovSoo`>sNc7Dʣ3&\-i9!كKJ1@,QNwExMfD\Ge"Wa{Vy'>.`G4g̪d3 eY!R^ڀ\pCzHQdj@Y9[(t~a@e&da|V,X!KeZ6
[yb.
*=6Qwm++7P-"+Vr,.s1S͋ra䂻R3Z.1+OO벶j,ik|7跕[*cwR'U}&"KG
PBRdJ왹5]0
^iUµ5Q+c01Y1Y]lZXZx)
֏<K4yՆrB2+7.؋;<\<kMόX_I1&KҠna++Iu}"etvh4. ROcc|EE!ީ7^h(*OJVbEzYGU|kn*hBN0!C4gR[9E1']K&v}a7 ƈXK߁wVzy')czdX&~ٴ릳x]I RVܓ|_;Cjb)Spi*;IEJ0YtGmo,T
>~D/xijꋴxb& 3d+kzR\;&> [Ponr3Nytnόj=[GnWS