The Philosophy Book

192

turned his attention to moral
philosophy, particularly Bentham’s
theories of utilitarianism. He had
been struck by the elegant simplicity
of Bentham’s principle of “the
greatest happiness for the greatest
number”, and was a firm believer in
its usefulness. He describes his
interpretation of how utilitarianism
might be applied as similar to Jesus
of Nazareth’s “golden rule”: do as
you would be done by, and love your
neighbor as yourself. This, he says,
constitutes “the ideal perfection of
utilitarian morality.”

Legislating for liberty
Mill supports Bentham’s happiness
principle, but he thinks it lacks
practicality. Bentham had seen the
idea as depending upon an abstract
“felicific calculus” (an algorithm for
calculating happiness), but Mill

wants to find out how it might

be implemented in the real world.

He is interested in the social and

political implications of the principle,

rather than merely its use in

making moral decisions. How

would legislation promoting the

”greatest happiness of the greatest

number” actually affect the

individual? Might laws that sought

to do this, enacting a kind of majority

rule, actually prevent some people

from achieving happiness?

Mill thinks that the solution

is for education and public opinion

to work together to establish an

“indissoluble association” between

an individual’s happiness and the

good of society. As a result, people

would always be motivated to act

not only for their own good or

happiness, but toward that of

everyone. He concludes that society

JOHN STUART MILL

The good samaritan helps his enemy

in a biblical parable that demonstrates

Mill’s golden rule: do as you would be

done by. He believed this would raise

society’s overall level of happiness.

should therefore allow all individuals

the freedom to pursue happiness.

Furthermore, he says that this

right should be protected by the

government, and that legislation

should be drawn up to protect the

individual’s freedom to pursue

personal goals. There is, however,

one situation in which this freedom

should be curtailed, Mill says, and

that is where one person’s action

impinges on the happiness of

others. This is known as the “harm

principle.” He underlines this by

pointing out that in these cases, a

person’s “own good, either physical

or moral, is not a sufficient warrant.”

Quantifying happiness

Mill then turns his attention to how

best to measure happiness. Bentham

had considered the duration and

intensity of pleasures in his felicific

calculus, but Mill thinks it is also

important to consider the quality

of pleasure. By this, he is referring

to the difference between a simple

satisfaction of desires and sensual

pleasures, and happiness gained

It is better

to be Socrates

dissatisfied than

a fool satisfied.

John Stuart Mill