Mill’s Moral and Political Philosophy, Essay Example

Mill’s “Utilitarianism” perfectly portrays the manner in which humanity works towards happiness each and everyday. In his essay, Mill describes utilitarianism as a theory in which actions are right as long as they have a tendency to promote happiness. He goes on to elaborate on the fact that if an action brings about the reverse of happiness, then the action is wrong. Although many individuals would assume that this definition is obvious, the manner in which Mill interprets what he theorizes is impeccable. Mill’s argument on how happiness is the sole basis of morality resounds in my heart, because of how much I agree with it. Because of this, Mill is completely right when he states that humanity’s ultimate goal is that of achieving perfect happiness, while all other objects and actions performed while in the process are only complementary to the main objective.

Many would argue that the true meaning of life is to be happy and content with oneself. These individuals would soon prove to be completely right, for every action that is performed within human nature is usually for one’s own pleasure or a certain community’s pleasure. These actions are done for one sole purpose, however, which is that of enhancing a certain way of life. As a result of this life enhancement, individuals attain happiness, for they have been provided with a different standard of living.

An important point that Mill makes is that people never desire anything but happiness. This holds true because throughout history, humanity has been shown to understood decisions that enhance their individual lives. One such example of this is the discrimination of African Americans. Of course, African Americans disapproved the manner in which they were and had been treated for centuries. As a result of this “lack of happiness” (as described by Mill), individuals assumed the responsibility to take it upon themselves to do something about the conflict at hand. As it is well-known, discrimination slowly ceased to exist because of so many individual’s disapproval. Although Mill’s “Utilitarianism” does not isolate discrimination as an individual topic, it is implied that he would agree that the end result was all due to his theory that individuals only seek to achieve happiness in their lives.

One important thing to take note of is that happiness is subjective. What is meant by this is that due to the fact that different things will make distinct individuals happy, then there is not one single thing that can make all individuals happy. Although this might sound confusing at first, after close analyzation, one is able to realize that this theory holds true as well. Mill portrays how every single individual’s goals and accomplishments all serve as a constant reminder that it is in human nature for individuals to want to be happy under any circumstance. On that note, because of the way that Mill is able to describe happiness as pleasure and the absence of pain, it goes without saying that pleasure is subjective as well. For example, what makes a young five year old boy satisfied will not necessary have the same effect on a  fifty year old woman. This is all due to Mill’s theory that it all relies on the individual and how he or she perceives it as.