Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism   Order Description The following three quotes are from john Stuart Mill's "Utilitarianism" handout (which I will upload for you). Provide an overview of Mill's ethical theory by explaining each of these quotes and how it is that they fit together. Conclude your essay by citing what you take to be a strength of the view and a weakness of the view—defend your claims. 1. Greatest Happiness Principle: “…actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness; wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness” (p. 7). 2. Higher and Lower Pleasures: “It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied” (p. 10). 3. Impartiality: “As between his own happiness and that of others, utilitarianism requires him to be strictly impartial as a disinterested and benevolent spectator” (p. 17). ** This is not a research essay per se. In fact, I strongly urge that you do not make use of outside sources. Please use the handouts that I provide/upload for you as your resources. Any quotes you draw from the handouts should cite the page number(s), for example: “Stuart Mill says that the coward makes himself cowardly…” (Stuart Mill, p. 35). Other than that, imagine you are writing for an interested friend or family member—try to answer the essay prompt as clearly and intelligibly as you can.