JS Mill Pleasure I love pleasure You are

JS Mill “Pleasure, I love pleasure!” “You are a child, your views are both infantile and cold!”

JS Mill • Starter – What are the differences between a judge and an MP when it comes to decisionmaking? Which is better and why? • LO s - To understand how Mill’s position differs from Bentham’s and what he shares with him • HWK – Written consideration of summary question • To understand the difference between higher and lower pleasures • To explore the key pillars to Mill’s position

JS Mill • Saw Bentham’s hedonic calculus as rigid application of a law which could lead to immoral consequences, like a judge. Mill believed in logic of practice – application of general principles based on experience (MP). • This is the difference between Bentham and Mill

JS Mill • Happiness not Simple How can we be happy? • Liberty Fundamental Principle • Overall individual happiness Universalizability • Human Rights Conditions for Happiness • Summary sentence… Basic Principles

Higher and Lower Pleasures • Jot down in pairs what you think are higher and what are lower pleasures • Mill saw higher pleasures as those that help humans progress and gain something eg education, philosophical insight, reading, listening to music. • Lower pleasures are nice but you gain nothing in terms of progress eg sex, drinking alcohol etc

Summary • Is it better to be an unhappy philosopher or a happy pig? • Higher vs lower pleasures