Mill's Utilitarianism (II)

„Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.“ (p. 278)

Traditionally: mental pleasures higher than bodily ones, because the former have “greater permanency, safety, uncostliness” (p. 279)
Mill: “some kinds of pleasure are more desirable and more valuable than others.” (p. 279)

How can we find out which pleasure is more valuable?
“Of two pleasures, if there be one to which all or almost all who have experience of both give a decided preference ... that is the more desirable pleasure.” (p. 279)

Preference to the pleasures related to the higher faculties: “Few human creatures would consent to be changed into anyof the low animals, for a promise of the fullest allowance of a beast’s pleasures; no intelligent human being would consent to be a fool” (p. 280)

“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.” (p. 281)

Occasional choice for the lower pleasure: “Men often, from the infirmity of character, make their election to the nearer good.” (p. 281)
-> e.g. “sensual indulgences to the injury of health” (p. 281)
The “ultimate end ... is an existence exempt ... from pain, and as rich as possible in enjoyments, both in point of quantity and quality; the test of quality, ... being the preference felt by those who, in their opportunities of experience, to which must be added their habits of self-consciousness and self-observation, are best furnished with the means of comparison.” (p. 283)
-> this should be the end of human action; to be “secured to all mankind” and “to the whole sentient creation”.

But: Is happiness unattainable?
a) Even if, utilitarianism would still be able to advocate the “prevention or mitigation of unhappiness” (p. 284)
b) But, by happiness is not meant “a life of rapture; but moments of such, in an existence made up of few and transitory pains, many and various pleasures, with a dediced predominance of the active over the passive.” (p. 284) -> such a life merits to be called “happy”

“The present wretched education, and wretched social arrangements, are the only real hindrance to its being attainable by almost all.” (p. 284)
“Poverty ... may be completely extinguished by the wisdom of society, combined with the good sense and providence of individuals.” (p. 284)