Routledge philosophy guidebook to Mill on utilitarianism
London, 1997
Abstract
This book provides a detailed interpretation of John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism. The book begins by examining Mill’s theory of welfare and his hedonistic account of what makes life worth living. It goes on to discuss Mill’s argument for utilitarianism, showing how it relies on a number of assumptions about the nature of morality, welfare and the human mind. The book then explores various interpretations of Mill’s view, discussing the relationship between acts and rules, and arguing against the view that Mill is a rule utilitarian. The book also examines two key objections to utilitarianism: the integrity objection and the problem of justice. The book concludes with a discussion of two of Mill’s most important works in political philosophy, On Liberty and The Subjection of Women, showing how they are applications of his utilitarian theory. – AI-generated abstract
Quotes from this work
Utilitarianism is almost certainly much more demanding than Mill allows. It is tempting to think, in fact, that Mill is deliberately being disingenuous here. He was quite aware of how much further there was to go before customary morality became ideal, and that the route to that ideal would seem demanding to many. The rhetoric to encourage people on that road comes in chapter 3 of Utilitarianism, especially in the closing paragraphs. Here, he may be more concerned to allay doubts. Better to persuade a reader to become a feeble utilitarian than put them off entirely by stressing the demandingness of utilitarian morality.