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How did John Stuart Mill change Jeremy Bentham’s version of utilitarianism?
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Utilitarianism
English philosopher and economist Jeremy Bentham's preserved skeleton in his own clothes and surmounted by a wax head, at University College London.
John Stuart Mill modified Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism to address criticisms that the original philosophy was too narrow and crude. His primary changes included:12
- Quality of Pleasure: Unlike Bentham, who famously argued that "pushpin is as good as poetry" if the quantity of pleasure is equal, Mill distinguished between "higher" and "lower" qualities of pleasure. He famously asserted that it is "better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied," arguing that those who have experienced both types of pleasure prefer the higher quality.132
- Rule-Based Guidance: Bentham advocated for a "hedonic calculus" to evaluate the consequences of each individual action. Mill, however, argued that utilitarians should be guided by general moral principles—such as honesty or keeping promises—that tend to increase happiness, rather than attempting to calculate the utility of every specific action.3412
- Moral Compatibility: Mill sought to align utilitarianism with established moral convictions regarding justice and truthfulness, suggesting that actions should be classified as right or wrong only when their consequences are significant enough to warrant social compulsion.124