Riassunto
Trama e riassunto di Utilitarismo
A chi è rivolto
For students of ethics, readers of politics and law, and anyone who enjoys testing how they decide what is right. Mill explores happiness, duty and justice through a clear, compact argument.
Che cos’è questo libro
What makes an action right or wrong? John Stuart Mill takes on that question in Utilitarianism, first printed as magazine articles in 1861 and as a book in 1863. He sets out to defend the utilitarian view that morality rests on happiness. In five short chapters, Mill states the principle, answers critics, and tests it against our sense of justice. Along the way he argues that pleasures differ in quality, not just amount. First, he asks why morality has lacked a firm foundation.
In questo riassunto
- 1Morality needs one clear first principleFree
- 2Right actions promote happiness, wrongs cause pain
- 3Common objections to the principle fall away
- 4Why we obey is rooted in feeling
- 5Happiness is proved by what people actually desire
- 6Justice serves utility and has lasting critics
Punto chiave 1 di 6
Morality needs one clear first principle
Mill opens with a strange fact. After more than two thousand years, thinkers still disagree about the basis of right and wrong. People follow moral rules every day without settling why those rules bind us.
He targets the view that we know right from wrong by an inner sense or by reason alone. Such thinkers lay down rules but rarely explain how to rank them when they clash. A duty to tell the truth may collide with a duty to protect someone from harm. To choose, you need a higher standard.
So Mill turns to utility as that standard. Next time two rules pull apart, ask what each rule is for. He believes one answer lies under all the others.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 28,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 1 h 50 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 6 other languages
Questions about Utilitarismo
What is Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill about?
It argues that actions are right when they promote happiness and wrong when they cause the opposite. Mill explains the principle, answers objections, says why people should follow it, offers a proof, and shows that justice rests on it.
What is the greatest happiness principle?
It is the idea that the right action is the one that produces the greatest happiness altogether, counting each person equally. Happiness means pleasure and the absence of pain.
What is the difference between higher and lower pleasures in Mill?
Mill says pleasures differ in quality as well as quantity. Pleasures of thought, feeling and imagination are higher than bodily ones, and people who have known both will usually prefer the higher kind.
When was Utilitarianism written and is it hard to read?
Mill published it in magazine parts in 1861 and as a book in 1863. It is short and clearly argued.
How does Mill's utilitarianism differ from Bentham's?
Mill says utilitarian writers often stress the practical advantages of mental pleasures. Mill adds that some pleasures are of higher quality, judged by people who have experienced both kinds.