Liberty Vs. Utility in Mill's Work

Paper Summary:

In this paper, two of John Stuart Mill's seminal works are discussed, these being 'On Liberty' and 'Utilitariansm'. The point of this discussion is to decide whether Mill's vision of liberty takes a subservient role to that of utility, the Greatest Happiness Principle. The paper first takes a look at the problems of each papers. Then it contrasts liberty against pleasure, deciding that liberty DOES take a backseat to happiness and utility.

From the Paper:

"It has always struck me as odd, when talking with fellow students of philosophy, that many of them view John Stuart Mill as some shiller of sleaze, his doctrine of Utility and Greatest Happiness completely libertine, especially when compared to the immovable, tucked-under-the-covers prudishness of his contemporary ethicist Immanuel Kant. Yet, in two of his seminal works, On Liberty and Utilitarianism, Mill shows that liberty is not the end all and be all of his beliefs. Instead, liberty is more of a tool, an enhancer, of his overarching principle of utility. In the opening remarks of Utilitarianism, Mill makes this statement: 'All action is for the sake of some end, and rules of action, it seems natural to suppose, must take their whole character and color from the end to which they are subservient'."

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