Mill's Utilitarianism (I)

1 John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873):
English philosopher and political economist, member of parliament,

2 Utilitarianism: General Remarks
2.1 Difference science and ethics: In science “particular thruths precede the general theory” (p. 273). The actions in ethics are done “for the sake of some end”; they take their character “from the end” (p. 273)
2.2 Against Intuitionism: If there is a moral instinct (of which we are not sure), then it cannot be the faculty that tells us what is right and wrong; for that, reason is required.
2.3 Morality to be deducted from principles: Whether morality is seen as something a priori, or something gained through experience. It is certain, that “morality must be deduced from principles.”(p.274) What is required is a first principle as the “root of all morality” (p. 274).