John Stuart Mill: Theories about the Economy and Utilitarianism

Summary

John Stuart Mill, a British philosopher and political economist, remains one of the most influential thinkers of the 19th century. Born in 1806, Mill was exposed to rigorous intellectual training from an early age, particularly through his father, James Mill, a prominent utilitarian philosopher. This early exposure shaped Mill's understanding of the world, leading him to become a key figure in the development of utilitarianism, a moral theory that evaluates actions based on their ability to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

Mill’s contribution to utilitarianism was both a continuation and a refinement of the ideas originally proposed by Jeremy Bentham, his intellectual predecessor. While Bentham’s version of utilitarianism focused primarily on the quantity of pleasure or pain produced by an action, Mill introduced a more nuanced view by distinguishing between higher and lower pleasures. According to Mill, pleasures of the intellect, imagination, and moral feelings were superior to those of mere physical satisfaction. This distinction between qualitative pleasures was central to Mill’s revision of utilitarian thought, emphasizing that the quality of happiness mattered as much as, if not more than, its quantity.

In this chapter, we explore the foundations of utilitarianism as laid out by Mill. He argued that the ultimate goal of human life is to achieve happiness, which can be defined as the presence of pleasure and the absence of pain. Mill believed that utilitarianism provided a clear and objective standard by which to judge actions, policies, and societal practices. The greatest happiness principle, which advocates for actions that maximize overall happiness, is a central tenet of Mill’s ethical framework. However, Mill also recognized the complexity of applying this principle in real-life situations, acknowledging the challenges of balancing individual rights with the greater good.