Utilitarianism – John Stuart Mill

"Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness."

John Stuart Mill refines the ethical theory of Jeremy Bentham, arguing that the goal of morality is the 'Greatest Happiness Principle'. He distinguishes between higher (intellectual) and lower (physical) pleasures, famously stating that it is "better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied."

This essay is the classic defense of utilitarian ethics. It attempts to base morality on rational, secular principles of human well-being, influencing modern debates on everything from animal rights to public policy.