Tag: Miller

John Stuart Mill on The Good Life: Higher-Quality Pleasures

John Stuart Mill
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 8 Comments

Author: Dale E. Miller Category: Ethics, Historical Philosophy Wordcount: 994 Video below One important question in ethics is what makes people’s lives go well for them. Philosophers have proposed various theories about what things in and of themselves make people better off, i.e., theories of “well-being.” Many such theories say that pleasurable experiences are at least … Continue reading John Stuart Mill on The Good Life: Higher-Quality Pleasures

Mill’s Proof of the Principle of Utility

Cartoon drawing of John Stuart Mill
~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology ~ 7 Comments

Author: Dale E. Miller Category: Ethics, Historical Philosophy Wordcount: 999 It may seem obvious that happiness is valuable, but is it the only thing valuable for its own sake, as opposed to being useful as a way to get something else? The 19th-century utilitarian philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) argues that it is.[1] His argument … Continue reading Mill’s Proof of the Principle of Utility