John Stuart Mill Compare And Contrast

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Comparison and Contrast of Kant’s and Mill’s arguments on their respective principles

The utilitarian philosophy of John Stuart Mill and the Kantian theory could not be any more opposite as far as philosophy is concerned. While utilitarianism is a consequential position that is solely focused on the outcomes of actions, Kant is mainly concerned with the reason behind the occurrence of an action irrespective of the outcome of the action. Though both theories appear complex, they have sufficient reasons to act in their favor. However, a deeper analysis of the two theories reveals that utilitarian philosophy is inferior to the Kantian theory.
John Stuart Mill’s utilitarian philosophy states that an action is good if it maximizes the good for …show more content…

Earlier stated, utilitarian ideology can be summed up as a philosophy that seeks cognitive actions aimed towards bringing greatest happiness for many people. Whereas Mill believed on a notion that each and every individual desires his personal happiness particularly through consideration of his level of happiness, Kant argues against this idea by stating that; "we find that the more a cultivated reason devotes itself to the aim of enjoying life and happiness, the further does man get away from true contentment" (Kant 221). Alternatively, Kant had a stern belief that the reason's purpose is to offer guidance to the will. He further argues that; if a man’s reason always guided him towards seeking pleasures, then he would eventually end up being unhappy. Therefore, he went to the extent of claiming that; “true function should be to come up with a will that is not only useful as a means to an end, but also good in itself" (Kant 221). On this basis, Kant's argument seems incredibly convincing as compared to Mill's utilitarian perspectives since he has the capability of proving that happiness does not prevail as the real function of

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