mill essay

Question 1

intro

Answer 1

diverges from Bentham
- quality and happiness

concern with justice - difference between right and good. but no emphasis on intention

rather whether an action is right is measured on what conforms with teleological principle of utility

concerned with collective - golden rule

Question 2

paras and argument

Answer 2

happiness
quality
relationship between right and just

seems compatible
but there is too much emphasis in the dominical sayings of the Gospels on the state of the heart and inward devotion/piety for any consequentialist ethical theory to be workably consistent with it

Question 3

para 1

Answer 3

ambiguity surrounding the term 'right'
no a priori moral sense 
first principle is deontological in science - mathematics 
but teleological for ethics - utility 
anti intuitionist ethics aka. Kant 

. For Mill, utilitarian morality is unique in its recognition of the ‘social feelings of mankind’. He argues for an innate orientation towards unity; what is right is that which takes into account the interests of all people in society. It is once we begin to act according to the right that society will become more equal and cohesive; this is the basis of Mill’s ‘associationist’ ethics.

Question 4

para 1 ao2

Answer 4

moral chaos if contextually determined?
fixed end of happiness (Aristotelian eudaemonia)
combines absolute principle of happiness with teleological emphasis. hence there is a sense of guidance

(incompatibility with divine command theory?)
letter to Carlyle
but…depends on nature of deity. if wants end of happiness it is compatible (but, difference is whether happiness is an eschatological goal or not)

Question 5

para 2

Answer 5

happiness - higher pleasures
avoids criticism of animalism
jesus’ teachings on love - shared aim of increasing happiness
hence, Higher pleasures (divergence from Bentham)

. By virtue of being human, we have the capacity to access higher pleasures: pleasures that allow for self-development. This is once again reflective of Aristotelianism; Mill’s emphasis on the superiority of higher pleasures parallels Aristotle’s idea of human flourishing. He states in his Nicomachean Ethics that ‘the pleasures arising from thinking and learning will make us think and learn all the more’
(but tension in Aristotle’s emphasis on intention)

Question 6

para 2 ao2

Answer 6

elitist view of pleasure?
is he really a hedonist? can you discredit low pleasures?

for Mill, defining factor = capacity to choose the right

but this gives virtue mere instrumental value. teleological nature means that intention does not matter

link to jesus and golden rule, emphasis on happiness for all - is it rhetoric? no just shows consistency

Question 7

para 3

Answer 7

importance of justice in establishing collective happiness

• 2 parts: justice as required for an individual’s sense of being and justice as concerning that which provides a sense of security.
• former: linked to obligation
• impartiality = key
• but contextual

Question 8

para 3 ao2

Answer 8

need to recognise rights of all people
This appears consistent with a theistic ethical framework; Mill himself describes the relationship between sanctions and the right in religious terms. In describing man’s desire for happiness and fear of sanctions, Mill states: ‘the hope of favour and the fear of displeasure from our fellow creatures or from the Ruler of the Universe, along with…love and awe of Him, (inclines) us to do his will independently of selfish consequences’ - use of reverential capitalisation
if god wants good then god must approve it
god’s will and util desire communal happiness

Question 9

conc - theism

Answer 9

Although the principle of utility is consistent with theism, I would be interested in adopting a more linear and holistic approach to Mill’s works. This would allow me to trace Mill’s varying levels of religious sympathy and evaluate the potential reasons for these. A prime example is Mill’s Theism, which deals with questions such as the goodness of the divine will. For Larsen, Mill’s more sympathetic approach to religion in Theism is not only reflective of the recent death of his wife Harriet Taylor, but also the influence of Harriet’s pious daughter, Helen.