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An Analysis of John Stuart Mills's Utilitarianism Tom Patrick

An Analysis of John Stuart Mills's Utilitarianism By Tom Patrick

An Analysis of John Stuart Mills's Utilitarianism by Tom Patrick


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Summary

Originally published in 1861, Mill's great work systematically details and defends the doctrine of utilitarianism. Arguing first that a "morally good" action is one that increases the general sum of happiness in the world, Mill then says that general principles of justice should be based on this idea.

An Analysis of John Stuart Mills's Utilitarianism Summary

An Analysis of John Stuart Mills's Utilitarianism by Tom Patrick

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.

About Tom Patrick

Dr Patrick Tom holds masters degrees from Notre Dame, Leeds and the University of Zimbabwe, and a PhD in politics and international relations from the University of St Andrews. He currently works for the Zimbabwe Policy Dialogue Institute. Dr Sander Werkhoven holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Warwick. He is currently a member of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Utrecht, where he specialises in ethics and the philosophy of medicine.

Table of Contents

Ways in to the Text

Who was John Stuart Mills?

What does Utilitarianism Say?

Why does Utilitarianism Matter?

Section 1: Influences

Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context

Module 2: Academic Context

Module 3: The Problem

Module 4: The Author's Contribution

Section 2: Ideas

Module 5: Main Ideas

Module 6: Secondary Ideas

Module 7: Achievement

Module 8: Place in the Author's Work

Section 3: Impact

Module 9: The First Responses

Module 10: The Evolving Debate

Module 11: Impact and Influence Today

Module 12: Where Next?

Glossary of Terms

People Mentioned in the Text

Works Cited

Additional information

NGR9781912127832
9781912127832
1912127830
An Analysis of John Stuart Mills's Utilitarianism by Tom Patrick
New
Paperback
Macat International Limited
2017-07-15
95
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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