Do I agree with John Stuart Mill’s concept of happiness?
Yes, I agree with Mill’s refined Utilitarianism. Mill extended
Jeremy Benthem’s principle of utility by adding the idea of quality; he classified
pleasures as either higher or lower, refined or crude (Section 12-10a). Mill
said, in Utilitarianism, that he
believed it is important to “assign the pleasures of the intellect, of the
feelings and imagination, and of the moral sentiments, a much higher value as
pleasure than those of mere sensation (Section 12-5).” I agree with Mill in his
belief that it is necessary to differentiate between qualities of pleasures to
obtain the most happiness in life. I agree with this because higher pleasures have brought me more
happiness in life.
Several years ago I preferred the lower pleasures in life, such
as going out and drinking with friends. I also worked at a dead-end job as a
dental assistant that involved no intellectual growth. I was content with
making only enough to pay my bills and go out to have fun. Gradually I began to
realize, although I didn’t feel unhappy, I was feeling unfulfilled in life and
I began to make some changes. I got an administrative assistant job at an
accounting office where I learn something new every day. At the same time I
went back to school to continue my education. For the last couple years I have
realized the benefits of the higher pleasures, especially intellectual
pleasures. I no longer have time for going out and drinking. Instead, I work a
lot more and spend much of my free time doing school work. The lower pleasures I
used to fill my life with may be easily obtained, but I have found a better
quality of happiness from these intellectual activities. Therefore, I would
consider them superior to the lesser pleasures of having fun with friends and
drinking.
How do I truly know that the higher pleasures have brought
me more happiness than the lower pleasures? I know because I have decided from
thorough experience with both types of pleasures that higher pleasures of intellect
have provided me with more happiness than the lower pleasures. According to
Mill, “only those fully acquainted with two pleasures can decide which, if
either, is better (Section 12-5).” I think this is a very important rule for judgment
in general. If you have never been in a certain situation, how can you be a
proper judge of its superiority or inferiority over another situation? I am
fully acquainted with both of these pleasures and have decided from first-hand
experience with both, that the intellectual pleasure of school is indeed a
higher pleasure than the lower pleasure of going out and drinking with friends.
Reviving my thirst for knowledge, and quenching that thirst has been the most
uplifting pleasure of my adult life. No amount of drinking and fun with friends
has ever given me the feeling of fulfillment I get from my job and from school.
The higher pleasures may require more work, and are harder to secure than the
lesser pleasures, but I agree with Mill that they produce a higher quality of happiness
and therefore have a higher value (Section 12-5b).
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