Chapter 1 General Provisions
Chapter 2: What is Utilitarianism?
Chapter 3: On the Ultimate Sanction of the Principle of Utility
Chapter 4 What kind of proof can the principle of axiom provide?
Chapter 5: On the Relationship Between Justice and Axiom

John Stuart Mill's Chronology
Release - Lee Jong-in
Commentary on the work - Lee Jong-in

What is utilitarianism, the 'greatest happiness for the greatest number'?

Utilitarianism is an ideology that uses utility as the standard for value judgment.
The rightness or wrongness of an action is determined by its usefulness and consequences, which are how much it contributes to increasing human benefit and happiness.
The original word for '공리' (功利) is 'utility', which means usefulness and usefulness. If we apply the dictionary definition, it means something that is helpful in achieving the goal of happiness.
According to Mill's argument, since one can reach happiness through utility, it is okay to read utility as happiness and utilitarianism as eudaemonism.


In a broad sense, utilitarianism refers to a philosophical and ideological tendency that places the greatest value on pleasure, such as happiness and utility.
Many philosophers, from Epicurus and Aristotle to Kant, shared this idea.
On the other hand, utilitarianism in the narrow sense that many people are familiar with refers to the ideas founded by Jeremy Bentham and developed by John Stuart Mill.
Utilitarianism views humans as beings with a natural tendency to always pursue pleasure and happiness and avoid pain.
Furthermore, the standards for ethical judgment on human behavior are also based on this utilitarian view of humanity, according to which good actions are those that contribute to increasing human pleasure and happiness, while evil actions are those that increase suffering and unhappiness.
Furthermore, it is said that in order to maximize the happiness of society, as many people as possible should be able to enjoy as much happiness as possible.
Therefore, the goal of utilitarianism appears to be the realization of ‘the greatest happiness of the greatest number.’


Utilitarianism is divided into Bentham's 'quantitative utilitarianism', which argued for the quantification of pleasure, and John Stuart Mill's 'qualitative utilitarianism', which acknowledged the qualitative difference in pleasure.
Bentham believed that acting in accordance with human nature to pursue pleasure and avoid pain would bring the greatest happiness to both individuals and society as a collection of individuals.
He did not recognize qualitative differences in pleasure, considered pleasure to be quantifiable, and attempted to calculate it using seven scales.
And he presented 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number' as the principle of morality and legislation.
However, Mill modified Bentham's ideas by arguing for qualitative differences in pleasure.
Mill believed that humans have abilities beyond their animal nature and therefore pursue higher and more noble pleasures.
Soon it will be better to be a dissatisfied human being than a satisfied pig.
“It is better to be a dissatisfied Socrates than a satisfied fool.”
And unlike Bentham, who valued political sanctions by law, Mill valued humanity as an internal sanction of conscience.

The influence of utilitarianism on later generations

J.
S. Mill is considered one of the four greatest ethical thinkers in Western philosophy, along with Plato, Aristotle, and Kant.
His book, Utilitarianism, is the definitive work on utilitarianism.
The influence of utilitarianism over the past two centuries has been far-reaching.
Until the 20th century, many philosophers modified and developed the theory of utilitarianism in various forms, and its influence was deeply permeated in law, political science, and economics.
For example, the principle of utility, which determines the goodness and evil of an act based on the standard of pleasure, governs all social actions, including legislation and politics.
Because the pursuit of personal utility does not necessarily result in social utility, the law must regulate and coordinate individual behavior to realize social utility.
And in order to realize social public good, the unfair benefits of those in power must be eliminated.
This is where a democratic parliamentary system becomes necessary.
That is why, in the early 19th century, Bentham and Mill and others launched a movement for parliamentary reform through universal/secret elections, and played a major role in the first electoral reform in 1832.
This amendment gave the right to vote, previously reserved only for the aristocracy and a very wealthy few, to industrial capitalists and the middle class.

Moreover, utilitarianism supports economic liberalism because it assumes the selfishness of individuals who pursue pleasure and happiness.
In fact, utilitarianism became the ideology of liberal economic reform in early 19th-century Britain, which advocated the abolition of the Corn Laws (laws that regulated grain imports to protect the interests of landowners) and free trade.
However, from a utilitarian perspective, government intervention and social legislation for distribution are justified if they help increase social utility.
In particular, Mill acknowledged the qualitative differences in pleasure and suggested directions for social improvement through labor legislation, protection of the right to organize, and the advocacy of land sharing.

In this way, utilitarianism had a great influence on the development of democratic political systems based on the 'principle of majority rule' and welfare ideology that emphasized gradual distribution and equality within the framework of protecting private property.
In particular, in Britain, it provided an ideological basis for those who advocated Fabian socialism (an ideology that seeks to develop democratic socialism while pursuing gradualist policies rather than revolutionary ones) and became an important source of British social thought.
It also had a major influence on the establishment of the marginal utility theory in economics (the theory that the value of a good is determined by the extent to which it satisfies human desires, and that its value declines after satisfying human desires).

The most understandable complete translation of Utilitarianism

Mill's English is very difficult and hard to understand.
They say you have to read it at least three times to understand it to some extent.
That's why we aimed to translate this complex text into something as readable as possible.
Translator Lee Jong-in's meticulous annotations and commentary on the work make "Utilitarianism" an accessible introduction for those new to Mill, and a springboard for readers already familiar with Mill to delve deeper.
By examining and reflecting on Mill's arguments, readers will be able to establish their own positions on what is right and wrong in society and on happiness.