Utilitarianism

Mill, John Stuart, 1806-1873Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.5

Word count: 161K words
Chapters: 17

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Utilitarianism by John Stuart MillAuthor: Mill, John Stuart, 1806-1873,Language: English, Class: B: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Release Date: Feb 1, 2004

Editor's review

Mill's Utilitarianism is a short but profoundly influential classic in the history of ethics. Built around the "greatest happiness principle," it answers common misunderstandings of utilitarianism: it is not a crude hedonism that counts quantity but ignores quality, but a moral doctrine that distinguishes higher and lower pleasures and stresses justice and virtue. Mill's argument is clear and his prose restrained, combining philosophical rigor with readability for the general reader. Its value lies in understanding how a frequently misread theory actually holds together, and how it has shaped modern public ethics and policy debate. Suitable as the first close reading of a primary text after an introduction to ethics, and for readers with a sustained interest in questions such as "what is happiness" and "how should we judge right and wrong." Read slowly, focusing on the chain of argument rather than the conclusions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Undergraduates and beginning researchers in philosophy or ethics
Readers interested in moral judgment and the ethics of public policy
Those who want to know the original utilitarian text and correct stereotypes
Thoughtful readers who enjoy rigorous argument and are willing to read classics slowly

Not a good fit for

Readers with no philosophical reading experience who need guided introductions
Readers expecting light stories or practical self-help content
Readers who want only conclusions and are unwilling to follow the argument

Reading tips

Read Chapter 1, the general introduction, first, to grasp the main objections Mill is answering.
Read closely the chapters on the quality of pleasure and on justice, noting the steps of the argument as you go.
Use an introduction to ethics or a companion guide to clarify terms and background.
After finishing, restate the core argument in your own words to test whether you have truly understood it.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I understand it without a philosophy background?

Yes, but it takes patience. Mill's prose is relatively clear, though the argument is dense; it is best to use an introduction or companion guide to learn the basic claims of utilitarianism and the controversies of the time before turning to the original.

Is utilitarianism concerned only with results and indifferent to morality?

This is a common misunderstanding. Mill addresses such criticism directly, distinguishing higher and lower pleasures and discussing how justice, virtue, and individual rights fit into the happiness principle; reading the original shows the details of his argument.

Is this suitable as the first book for learning ethics?

Yes, but it is best to start with an introduction to ethics. It is short and focused, making it a good starting point for close reading of a primary text; with no background at all, reading it directly may be difficult.

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About the author

Mill, John Stuart, 1806-1873 Author

John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) was a British philosopher, economist and political thinker. Since the library holds little direct information about his nationality, dates and other details, this introduction relies on his works. His major writings span logic, political philosophy and economics: A System of Logic examines inductive and deductive method, On Liberty sets out the boundary between individual freedom and social interference, Utilitarianism presents an ethics based on the greatest happiness, and Principles of Political Economy sums up the economic thought of his time. The library holds 17 of his works, including different editions and volumes of A System of Logic, showing that his writings have been repeatedly edited and studied in the English-speaking world and have had a lasting influence on later philosophical, political and social thought.