Mill's Explanation Of Utilitarianism By John Stuart Mill

Utilitarianism, a book written by John Stuart Mill during mid 19th century in England, encompasses Mill’s major viewpoints about the constructs of pleasure and pain for human beings; as well as utility in itself as a way of promoting political and social goals. As Mill quotes, “A cultivated mind, that is any mind to which the fountains of knowledge have been opened and which have been taught to exercises its faculties-find sources of inexhaustible interest in all that surrounds it; in nature, art, poetry, history, and the ways of man of past and their prospects for the future” (Mill, Utilitarianism, p. 372). This passage directly connects to Mill’s interpretation of Utilitarianism which is ultimately achieving happiness, or least one of his

372), talks about how a person should care about the common good in life, as an example let us envision a store clerk. When a store clerk gives a person back change there are two options this clerk has; one, giving you the right amount just because the clerk fears they will lose their job if they do not give you the correct change or giving you the right amount because it is morally right (Mullan, CAL 105-I, 11/9/16). The morally right option is what Mill means when he talks about the common good in life; one needs to be involved in the world, caring for all things, and as we do that anyone can become a happier person. Mill’s then goes on to describe the type of mind you need to possess; a cultivated mind. “Any mind to which the fountains of knowledge have been opened and which have been taught to exercises its faculties” (Mill, Utilitarianism, p. 372), as humans we adapt to situations, we grow and we learn, to accept Mill’s lesson in finding pleasure in this world we must be open to welcome any teachings the world has to offer. The knowledge of the mind can also be relatable to Mill’s quote about contentment, “It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied” (Mill, Utilitarianism, p. 370), from a philosophical standpoint, knowledge is gateway to pleasure

This standard revolves around the nature of living things and how our minds are based in hedonistic values because every living thing pursues pleasure and avoids pain. Such as a college student who strives and works hard to obtain a degree that will make him or her money inevitably leading them to some type of pleasure, but at the same time, the same student endures the pain of studying to obtain good grades that the student uses to earn their degree. Utilitarianism is a concept formatted in a book by John Stuart Mill that welcomes the idea of utility in everyday life, while focusing on how to achieve complete happiness in the lives of humans. Nature automatically guides the living creatures of this toward always pursuing pleasure and to avoid pain, and this reigns true in lives of humans as people strive for greatness and in animals as survival is a pleasure for them. It is clear that in life, some pleasures are not worth the action and some pains should be