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Comparing Mill's Conception Of Kantian Ethics And John Stuart Mill

426 Words2 Pages

Every day, we are faced with situations that require us to make difficult decisions. We often ask ourselves, “What is the right thing to do?” Two of the most influential thinkers in the history of Philosophy, John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant, each have a competing system of ethics, with the goal of setting forth the first principles of morality. Kantian ethics was based entirely on the “good will.” According to Kant, morality consists of duty, reason, and freedom—pleasure and pain is irrelevant. He believes that happiness and morality do not go hand-in-hand. Kant’s duty-based ethics revolved around the idea of the “categorical imperative”, which states, “always act in such a way that the maxim of your action can be universalized. The categorical imperative offers no conditions; it is relevant always and it is absolutely and …show more content…

His basis for morality is not entirely based on reason, whereas, Kant’s basis for morality is solely based on reason. In addition, Mill’s basis for morality has a social context, whereas, Kant’s does not. He takes into account the complexity of our situations and of human nature (e.g. our conscience). Mill doesn’t think pleasure and pain is irrelevant to morality. In fact, he thinks that happiness is pleasure and the absence of pain. Mill’s system of ethics, Utilitarianism, is focused on promoting the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Mill evaluates the moral actions in favor of the quality of the consequences that ensue. For Mill, an action is right insofar as its consequences yield the most happiness. Mill is arguing for ethical good, he is more concerned with the objective consequences instead of the quality of the will of the agent. The scope of his morality encompasses sentient beings. Mill’s system of ethics is a socially constructed reality, offering an external perspective of the greatest harmony between you and your fellow human

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