John Stewart Mill’s Idea of Utilitarianism free essay sample

It was in this article where Stewart was able to stray away from some of his god fathers ideas on utilitarianism he did not agree with, and really revolutionize the ways in which utilitarianism should be used. The period in which Stewart did his major writings during was the industrial revolution. This is important as it was Stewart’s hope that a utilitarian society would help society, as a whole, escape from the poverty that existed at this time. So what is this utilitarianism that is supposed to be able to help those in poverty? Stewart’s utilitarianism is often summed up by his idea of The Greatest Happiness Principle, (Mill 1861). What this means is that decisions in life, in morality, should be based on what will result in the greatest amount of good, or happiness, for the greatest amount of people. So basically, when making decisions one must not consider their own happiness, but rather how to morally make the decision that will make the most people happy. We will write a custom essay sample on John Stewart Mill’s Idea of Utilitarianism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page To put this into other words in the hopes to further explain his point, consequences for ones actions must be thought of rather than the actual motif for doing so. This proves Stewarts idea of utilitarianism to be teleological as it is based on the results of actions, as well as it proves to not be egoistic as individuals happiness is not of concern but rather a collective happiness of all. Stewart believes that what people strive for in life is happiness and pleasure. He also believes that there are two types of pleasures: higher (intellectual) and lower (sensual/bodily). As he realizes that happiness is impossible to weigh mathematically, he also realizes that pleasure itself is a sort of utility as it is what human kind strives for in life. In saying this, Stewart also notes that happiness is found by having a balance of tranquility and excitement based on the two types of pleasures. Those who are selfish will never feel tranquil as they will never be satisfied or excited in Stewart’s opinion, (Mill 1861). Now that we understand Stewart’s notion of utilitarianism, we are stuck with the question of whether or not, in today’s contemporary society, are there still examples of utilitarianism? After some careful thinking and tedious research, the answer is of course yes, in contemporary society there still are examples of utilitarianism. An odd example of utilitarian practice existing in society is found in a piece of aboriginal literature. Although it is not quite modern enough to be listed as contemporary, it is still worth noting as it shows utilitarian principle’s being practice in a culture totally alien to Stewart. A highly touted aboriginal author by the name of Pauline Johnson wrote a short story titled, â€Å"We-hro’s Sacrifice. † It is the story of a young boy whom is said to be the chief’s son and his relationship with a little white dog he finds at a small age. The dog and the boy become attached at the hip until the boy is forced with a decision to make. A traditional sacrifice of a pure white dog is common among aboriginal communities. Seeing that there are no other pure white dogs in the village but the one that belongs to his son, the chief gives his boy the option of keeping the dog and remaining happy, or giving the dog up for the betterment of his village. Eventually the young boy realizes that the utilitarian decision is the right one and he gives his dog up for sacrifice, (Johnson 41). Although on a small scale, this story still manages to show utilitarian concepts in an aboriginal community. Now, in looking at contemporary society for examples of utilitarianism, the first two ideas that come to mind are both our education and health care systems. Firstly, in taking a look at our education system, it clearly uses utilitarian concepts to support itself. Even though not everyone goes to school, you are still forced to pay taxes that go towards keeping the education system going. This is because the government believes that the education system does the greatest number of good for the greatest number of people. Meaning that although you personally might not be in school, the education system is still essential for society to keep moving forward. Children need to be educated so they will have the tools to be a positive member of society. Therefore, our education system is clearly based off of utilitarian values, but what about our health care system? Yes, it is true that some people in fact do live quite healthy lives and do not typically rely on the health care system regularly to stay alive. But in saying this, the health care system still will produce the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people. Whether or not you are in and out of the hospital, odds are you know someone or have someone close to you that is. Our health care system is essential to keep the greater number of people healthy and happy so there is no wonder our government has taxes to help sustain the system. Although this seems like a rather odd way to look at health care as it is so standard to us in Canada, it is still based off of utilitarian values just like our education system. Therefore, in contemporary society it is obvious that there still are utilitarian values that affect the way in which things are run. Allowing what is best for the greatest number of people helping make your moral decisions is a tool that can be very useful, but also can lead to some really tough decisions. Having a complete utilitarian society could possibly spoil individual’s entire life as they are not focusing on their own happiness, but everyone that their moral decision will affect. This might lead them to lead a life making decisions that never fulfill their own happiness but only those around them.