PHIL 1100H Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

• School: Trent University
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHIL 1100H
• Professor: Norlock Kathryn

Document Summary

Readings in course pack: utilitarianism, on liberty. See p. 454, he first sentence after the subhead: actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong ad they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. See end of that paragraph: happiness pleasure, and the absence of pain , pleasure, and the freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends. What is right or wrong will depend upon the consequences, or outcomes, of the acts. Higher pleasures may come with some pains. Higher pleasures are of a different quality than contentment. It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied, better to be socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied [456] Argues that the human live is pleasurable. Ends up concluding that human beings really want a balance of different qualities of pleasures, lower and higher pleasures. Happiness: a rich enjoyment of pleasures. The end of human action is the standard of morality.