John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism and Liberalism: A Comprehensive Overview
1. Main Ideas of Positivism:
Romanticism in Science:
Preteen stick to facts, experimental science as a model of rationality is rejected as incognoscitibles everything beyond the facts, agnosticism, science only guide the humanity, trust in progress indefinitely.
2. Law of Three States:
The theological status in human intelligence represents phenomena as the result of direct action and continues more or less numerous supernatural agents, larbitraria intervention which explains all the apparent anomalies of the universe. Metaphysical status is a simple modification of the first general, supernatural agents are replaced by abstract forces, real entities. Positive state in the human intelligence, recognizing the impossibility of obtaining absolute notions, disclaims determine the origin and destination of lunivers, intimate and knowing the causes of phenomena, and is delivered only to discover, by using good reasoning and combined of observation, its laws effective.
3. Idea of Moral Positivism:
A useful principle: greater happiness for the greatest number as the supreme criterion of morality and politics. The good of the community should be the criterion that guides the legislator.
Mill established a more reflective and nuanced formulation of utilitarianism, which undoubtedly has become the reference current even today many consider the philosophy of democracy. All I want is geared to the human pursuit of happiness, and you do not need more argument to prove that happiness is desirable.
Predecessors of this Idea:
Jeremy Bentham, James Mill and J. Stuart Mill.
4. Criteria of Morality According to Utilitarianism, Happiness Content:
The problems appear when happiness and morale are associated with pleasure. There is a hierarchy in the pleasures and Mill to be criticized this much or more quality than quantity. From a qualitative point of view there are higher pleasures (intellectual) and lower pleasures (body), and only if the latter is subordinate to the first one we aspire to happiness that is worthy of our human condition déssers. Mill includes higher among the pleasures that come from contributing to the collective happiness. In addition, states that the progress achieved by focusing on happiness that mankind was adding to our feelings get the good of others.
5. Moral Sentiment:
According to Mill, there is natural in us a feeling of belonging to a social group. About this sentiment, education must build the moral sentiment. For Mill, any moral sense is acquired, but the utilitarian principle has a basis in natural human sociability. Develop the altruistic feeling, then, is not acting against nature, but reinforce the most noble of us. This moral sense, once established, it becomes an internalized surveillance, conduct an internal sanction. For more than the moral sense is the final validation, the strength of any standard has to do with the existence of an external sanction.
6. Association Between Good and Pleasure:
Mill endorses the associationism thesis, according to current ideas which associations can explain the phenomena of the mind. From this perspective, stresses the necessity of establishing an association between good and pleasure. A copy can be a link between virtue and happiness. Therefore, the act will no longer driven by desire but by the influence of the new habit that makes us feel good when we act. A century later behavioral psychologists did their theses.
7. Liberty According to Mill:
No doubt the fight for equality and the common good is one of the passions of Mill. Mill explains how the society controls the conduct of its members with guidance when there is enough pressure through public opinion and by the force of law. The principle proposed in this limit to constriction of individual liberty which the rule is clear, the collective can only limit the freedom of an individual to protect themselves. The constraint on a person is entitled to prevent damage to others. Only in this case is admissible invasion of individual liberty.
8. Majorities and Elites Equalities:
Mill says that majorities can succumb to the desire of oppressing minorities. This oppression can come from the action of Government. Hence, any claim you need to limit the power of democracy leaders, have arising from the representation and obey the dictates of the largest party. We must not confuse democracy with tyranny of the majority. We also need to reflect about the need to protect from tyranny and the prevailing views. This is to avoid the imposing of uniform thought in ideology, culture or religion. Mill defends democracy must be compatible with respect for individual freedoms and rights of minorities. The individuality being a key, even thinking about the common good. Mill defends equality, but it is an equality that does not homogenize, but promotes individual freedom. Mill insists that we must encourage diversity of lifestyles. Individual is an affirmation of the basic ingredients of personal and social progress. Mill claims the leading role, or at least guiding of minorities with more aptitudes. These minorities, but should not seek to perpetuate their elite, nor the presence of individualization, authentic soul of society.
9. Difference Between Morality and Justice. Relationship Between Justice and Reality:
A right in a person correlates of a moral obligation is the difference between justice and charity. Justice implies something which is not only good to do it, and not make it bad, but we can claim an individual because there is a moral right. Where there is a right, there is a case of justice, not charity.
Where does the sense of justice comes from? The desire to punish the person causing the damage and the knowledge that an individual has done the damage, that is to say, identifying the individual. Punish the individual leaves the feeling of self-defense and the feeling of sympathy.
Relationship Between Justice and Utility:
Mill believes justice is based on utility. It is the most important part of morality, justice is the name given to the moral rules closer relationship with the essence of well-being of men and then constitute an absolute obligation. Other rules of conduct in life and essence of the idea of justice, the right of individual obligation and implies also being a witness.