An Analysis of John Stuart Mills's Utilitarianism

An Analysis of John Stuart Mills's Utilitarianism PDF Author: Tom Patrick
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 135135356X
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Book Description
John Stuart Mill’s 1861 Utilitarianism remains one of the most widely known and influential works of moral philosophy ever written. It is also a model of critical thinking – one in which Mill’s reasoning and interpretation skills are used to create a well-structured, watertight, persuasive argument for his position on core questions in ethics. The central question, for Mill, was to decide upon a valid definition of right and wrong, and reason out his moral theory from there. Laying down valid, defensible definitions is a crucial aspect of good interpretative thinking, and Mill gets his in as early as possible. Actions are good, he suggests, if they increase happiness, and bad if they reduce happiness. But, vitally, it is not our own happiness that matters, but the total happiness of all those affected by a given action. From this interpretation of moral good, Mill is able to systematically reason out a coherent framework for calculating and judging overall happiness, while considering different kinds and qualities of happiness. Like any good example of reasoning, Mill’s argument consistently takes account of possible objections, building them into the structure of the book in order to acknowledge and counter them as he goes.

An Analysis of John Stuart Mills's Utilitarianism

An Analysis of John Stuart Mills's Utilitarianism PDF Author: Tom Patrick
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 135135356X
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 72

Get Book

Book Description
John Stuart Mill’s 1861 Utilitarianism remains one of the most widely known and influential works of moral philosophy ever written. It is also a model of critical thinking – one in which Mill’s reasoning and interpretation skills are used to create a well-structured, watertight, persuasive argument for his position on core questions in ethics. The central question, for Mill, was to decide upon a valid definition of right and wrong, and reason out his moral theory from there. Laying down valid, defensible definitions is a crucial aspect of good interpretative thinking, and Mill gets his in as early as possible. Actions are good, he suggests, if they increase happiness, and bad if they reduce happiness. But, vitally, it is not our own happiness that matters, but the total happiness of all those affected by a given action. From this interpretation of moral good, Mill is able to systematically reason out a coherent framework for calculating and judging overall happiness, while considering different kinds and qualities of happiness. Like any good example of reasoning, Mill’s argument consistently takes account of possible objections, building them into the structure of the book in order to acknowledge and counter them as he goes.

Utilitarianism - Ed. Heydt

Utilitarianism - Ed. Heydt PDF Author: John Stuart Mill
Publisher: Broadview Press
ISBN: 1460402103
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism is a philosophical defense of utilitarianism, a moral theory stating that right actions are those that tend to promote overall happiness. The essay first appeared as a series of articles published in Fraser’s Magazine in 1861; the articles were collected and reprinted as a single book in 1863. Mill discusses utilitarianism in some of his other works, including On Liberty and The Subjection of Women, but Utilitarianism contains his only sustained defence of the theory. In this Broadview Edition, Colin Heydt provides a substantial introduction that will enable readers to understand better the polemical context for Utilitarianism. Heydt shows, for example, how Mill’s moral philosophy grew out of political engagement, rather than exclusively out of a speculative interest in determining the nature of morality. Appendices include precedents to Mill’s work, reactions to Utilitarianism, and related writings by Mill.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism PDF Author: John Stuart Mill
Publisher: The Floating Press
ISBN: 1775410617
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 121

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Book Description
Utilitarianism is philosopher John Stuart Mill's defense and advocacy of utilitarian ethics. First appearing in three magazine articles, this essay was first gathered into a single book in 1863. While Mill discusses utilitarian ethical principles in some of his other writings such as On Liberty and The Subjection of Women, Utilitarianism is Mill's only major discussion of the theory's fundamental grounds.

Mill's 'Utilitarianism'

Mill's 'Utilitarianism' PDF Author: Henry R. West
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 144112358X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
In Mill's 'Utilitarianism': A Reader's Guide, Henry R. West offers a clear, thorough and detailed review of the key themes and a lucid commentary that will enable readers to rapidly navigate the text. Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to reach a sound understanding of the text as a whole, the guide explores the complex and important ideas inherent in the text and provides a cogent survey of the reception and influence of Mill's seminal work.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism PDF Author: John Stuart Mill
Publisher: Pearson
ISBN: 9780023956706
Category : Utilitarianism
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Library of Liberal Arts title.

On Liberty and Utilitarianism

On Liberty and Utilitarianism PDF Author: John Stuart Mill
Publisher: Bantam Classics
ISBN: 055390499X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
These two essays by John Stuart Mill, England's greatest nineteenth-century philosopher, are the fruit of six hundred years of progressive thought about individual rights and the responsibilities of society. Together they provide the moral and theoretical justification for liberal democracy as we know it, and their incalculable influence on modern history testifies not only to the force of their arguments, but also to the power ideas can have over human affairs.

An Introduction to Mill's Utilitarian Ethics

An Introduction to Mill's Utilitarian Ethics PDF Author: Henry R. West
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521535410
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Table of contents

Economic Justice and Liberty

Economic Justice and Liberty PDF Author: Huei-chun Su
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135009880
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
This new book reopens the debate on theories of justice between utilitarian theorists and scholars from other camps. John Rawls’ 1971 publication of A Theory of Justice put forward a devastating challenge to the long-established dominance of utilitarianism within political and moral philosophy, and until now no satisfactory and comprehensive utilitarian reply has yet been put forward. By expounding John Stuart Mill’s system of knowledge and by reconstructing his utilitarianism, Huei-chun Su offers a fresh and comprehensive analysis of Mill’s moral philosophy and sheds new light on the reconciliation of Mill’s idea of justice with both his utilitarianism and his theory of liberty. More than a study of Mill, this book uses a systematic framework to draw a comparison between Mill’s theory of justice and those of John Rawls, Amartya Sen, and Friedrich von Hayek. It hence establishes common ground between different schools of thought in the fields of economics and philosophy, and enables more effective dialogue. This book will be indispensable both to those interested in Mill’s moral philosophy and to those seeking a solid theoretical basis for analyzing the idea of justice, as well as to anyone with an interest with the history of economics, economic philosophy and the history of economic thought more generally.

On Liberty, Utilitarianism, and Other Essays

On Liberty, Utilitarianism, and Other Essays PDF Author: John Stuart Mill
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199670803
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 609

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Book Description
Previous edition: published as On liberty and other essays. 1991.

On Liberty

On Liberty PDF Author: John Stuart Mill
Publisher: SSEL
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
The subject of this Essay is not the so-called Liberty of the Will, so unfortunately opposed to the misnamed doctrine of Philosophical Necessity; but Civil, or Social Liberty: the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual. (...) The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.In this famous essay, John Stuart Mill questions liberty of thought, individualism and the limits to the authority of society over the individual. The text is here followed by "Utilitarianism", a treatise in which he defines the main lines of this moral and political theory based on the greatest happiness of the greatest number.