This paper analyzes Utilitarianism according to Mill’s views. Utilitarianism refers to a system of morals grounded on the principle that a value maybe measured by its helpfulness in that a deed should be focused towards realizing happiness for the many people. Among the most influential contributors to utilitarianism is John Stuart Mill. He was a British philosopher, political economist and a civil servant. According to Utilitarianism, ethical deeds are those that exploits desire, wealth and absence of pain. It implies that the end always justifies a happy living that has no sorrow.
PRINCIPLE OF UTILITY
The utility principle denotes that behaviors or acts are appropriate as far as they uphold happiness or pleasure to the majority and thus is the degree of correct and incorrect. This has been supported by Bentham but according to mill this is not right. He argues that actions are right as they tend to produce the opposite of sadness. He continues to say, “Questions of ultimate ends don’t admit of evidence concerning the normal meaning of that term” (Mill 115).
MILL’S EVIDENCE ON UTILITIY’S PRINCIPLE
Responses of Questions about the end are usually quizzed by the desirable things. According to the utilitarian doctrine, happiness is considered to be the lone desirable factor at the end. What is important is the outcome which leads to fulfillment or justification of the claim so that it is believed.
The reason why he does not support this principle is that the outcome is not visible or tangible. He believes that things are usually believed if one can be able to see, touch or hear. To clarify these he provides an example that the only proof an object can be given is the fact that people can see it while the only proof accorded to sound is that it can be heard according to Mill. The lone reason that can be attached to happiness is that people can desire happiness, but in deep insight, happiness is not the end of an action since people can change their mind and despise the happiness they had desired. It will be hard for them not to believe what they had seen.
Happiness has ensured that it is one of the finishes of conduct, and subsequently one of the morality criteria. This cannot be the whole reason to make it a measure of judgment for morality. It could have been so if happiness is the lone factor in which human beings desired but since people wish other things like quality and absence of vice then it cannot be justified.
This principle should not be misunderstood that any given pleasure, such as comedy and freedom from pain like a healthy body are the only things that can define happiness. As much as this brings a happy conclusion, in the process they also take part. As illustrated to the utilitarian doctrine virtue is not naturally and originally part of the end of which in this case it is happiness.
MILL’S VALIDITY IN PROVING UTILITARIANISM
Mill has successfully succeeded in proving utilitarianism by looking seeing a state of utility with a third eye. This is so for the reason that he has been able to point out how happiness can be used to measure the correct or incorrectness in a situation, but it cannot be the ultimate judging factor since happiness can change at any time when people’s desires change.
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