Mo Money Mo Problems
Time for a little more John Stuart Mills. The 3rd chapter of Utilitarianism is entitled “Of the Ultimate Sanction of the Principle of Utility.” I understand this to mean, “From where does the utilitarian principle derive its authority?” I admit to not really understanding Mills’ argument in this chapter. His basic point [...]
Chapter 2: What Utilitarianism Is
The Principle of Utility states, “Pleasure, and freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends” (Chapter 2, para. 2). John Stuart Mills defines utilitarianism throughout the second chapter, and addresses a number of dissenting opinions, all of which boil down–in his view–to a failure to understand the meaning of [...]
Ryan pointed me toward John Stuart Mills’ Utilitarianism, so I’ve begun to read it as part of an exploration of economics and moral philosophy. Notes and reflections will go into a series of blog posts here.
Published in 1871, Utilitarianism is a slim volume which attempts, in just 5 chapters, to prove the Utilitarian Principle as [...]