Utilitarianism

Mill sets out to defend and sharpen the moral theory he inherited from Jeremy Bentham: that actions are right insofar as they promote happiness and wrong as they produce its reverse. Anticipating the usual objections, he argues that pleasures differ in quality as well as quantity, famously claiming it is better to be a dissatisfied Socrates than a satisfied fool. He takes up justice, duty, and the question of proof, trying to show that a morality grounded in the general welfare can still honor rights and fairness. Compact and closely argued, the essay remains the single most influential statement of utilitarian ethics and a fixture of philosophy courses everywhere. Free to download as a PDF or EPUB.