Study Of Mill's Utilitarian View Of Happiness

As the founder of classical utilitarian ethics,John Stuart Mill made outstanding contributions to the amendment and defense of utilitarianism.He was deeply influence by the Scottish enlightenment school,learned happiness conception of the hedonism in ancient Greeks,the modern empiricism and the French materialism,referring to the methods of empiricism and associationism psychology to hasten to avoid bitter theory of human nature as the prerequisite,based on the pain-joy principle,to human behavior generated by the actual effect(increase the degree of happiness or the degree of misfortune)as the standard of moral judgment,the greatest happiness in society as the ultimate value goal,through inheritance and correction Bentham' s utilitarianism thought,constructed an exquisite utilitarian outlook on happiness.Mill modified Bentham' s notion of pleasure with the concept of happiness,proposing that pleasure is not only quantitative but also qualitative.Happiness is a concrete whole and pluralistic concept,which is the acquisition of pleasure and the exemption of pain.Mill not only considers the subjective feelings of pleasure and attention to the objective factors and formation conditions of pleasure are included in the category of utilitarianism,which enriches the connotation of happiness.Mill believes that happiness is different from satisfaction.The pleasure of the soul and high-level happiness are more worthy of desire.Mill used the reverse deduction method to logically prove the principle of maximum happiness.He proposed that the means to desire happiness itself has no value.Its nature and value depend on the purpose of the service to be served.The principle of maximum happiness is the basic principle of morality and is the realization of society.The rationality of the means of maximizing happiness is determined by the ultimate goal of happiness.The laws of human nature show that the common purpose of all behaviors is actually toward happiness,and happiness has intrinsic value,so the principle of maximum happiness can be used as a criterion for evaluating the value of behavior.Mill advocates resorting to general moral rules in daily life,and when general moral rules conflictwith the principle of maximum happiness,it is necessary to resort to the latter.Mill proposed that the moral restraint of the principle of maximum happiness includes external restraint by means of actual rewards and punishments,internal restraint out of conscience,and final restraint based on social emotions.Mill believes that social happiness can be maximized by optimizing the social environment and shaping ideal personality.Mill interpreted justice as a bottom line morality different from benevolence and generosity,and pointed out that the importance of justice lies in satisfying people's security needs by prohibiting violations of the rights of others,thereby pointing out the principle of maximum happiness and justice in utilitarian claims consistency.Mill made a distinction between the field of self-related behavior and the field of other behaviors through the principle of non-harmfulness,so as to adjust the legal limit of social intervention for individual freedom to avoid the tyranny of the majority and guarantee the free development of personality.Guided by utilitarian theories and methods,Mill was committed to realizing the greatest happiness of the most people in harmony with material happiness and spiritual happiness,individual development and social progress,personal happiness and social happiness.From the perspective of the development of utilitarianism and its theoretical characteristics,utilitarianism focuses on the actual experience of human beings and social well-being,and can make corresponding adjustments based on changes in social conditions and specific life styles,and can draw on the latest theories of modern society.The achievements develop and perfect themselves,and have the theoretical advantage of advancing with the times.Utilitarianism not only played an important role in the development and transformation of modern Western society,but also had a profound impact in a wide range of humanities and social sciences(especially in the field of modern economy and political life),and it has important implications and significant theological value in the ethical life.Utilitarianism can be used as a normative guide in public affairs,and it can exert its theoretical advantages from the perspective of disaster ethics to guide people to do a good job in disaster prevention and treatment,alleviate public crisis,relieve the trauma and pain caused by disasters to human beings,and guide human beings to carry out habitat reconstruction and home reconstruction.