Mill's Utilitarianism

Paper Summary:

The paper relates that Plato, Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill each advocated ethical systems based upon their interpretations of society and human nature. The paper is of the opinion that Mill's utilitarianism can be applied more effectively in the modern world than Plato's or Kant's ethical systems. The paper discusses Mill's views and concludes that despite justified criticism of some aspects of utilitarianism, it is the best of the three systems.

From the Paper:

"John Stuart Mill believed that there are two basic characteristics of human nature: an instinct to please God and our fellow human beings, and a fear of displeasing God and our fellow human beings. Infused in these characteristics is an internal motivation based upon a sense of duty, which consists of religious feelings, childhood experiences, sympathy, and self-worth. This sense of duty is founded on the evidence that most human beings experience remorse when they attempt to reject these elements of their sense of duty by not promoting or contributing to general happiness. That sense of duty is subjective and emerges with experience. (Mill)"

Sample of Sources Used:

• Mill, John Stuart. On Liberty and Other Essays. BLTC. Online. Available: http://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/one.html. 10 November 2006.

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