Comments on: Nietzsche on Mill’s Utilitarianism http://py111.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/nietzsche-on-mills-utilitarianism/ Introduction to Philosophy (University of Essex) Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:48:07 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Tom http://py111.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/nietzsche-on-mills-utilitarianism/#comment-341 Tom Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:28:24 +0000 http://py111.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/nietzsche-on-mills-utilitarianism/#comment-341 I don't think Nietzsche ever read Mill, otherwise he would have known that Mill distinguished "higher" pleasures from "lower" ones (see the "satisfied pig" quote). You can guess on your own that Mill's higher pleasures weren't "fashion and comfort," which is what Nietzsche designates as "English happiness" (somewhere in BGE). Nietzsche's critique of utilitarianism is continuous (more or less), I think, with his critique of every morality that puts the herd before the individual. For a good example of the connection between utilitarianism and Christian morality ("love thy neighbor") see GS 21. I wonder what Nietzsche would make of the following Mill quotes: "The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental or spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest." "A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." I don’t think Nietzsche ever read Mill, otherwise he would have known that Mill distinguished “higher” pleasures from “lower” ones (see the “satisfied pig” quote). You can guess on your own that Mill’s higher pleasures weren’t “fashion and comfort,” which is what Nietzsche designates as “English happiness” (somewhere in BGE). Nietzsche’s critique of utilitarianism is continuous (more or less), I think, with his critique of every morality that puts the herd before the individual. For a good example of the connection between utilitarianism and Christian morality (“love thy neighbor”) see GS 21.

I wonder what Nietzsche would make of the following Mill quotes:

“The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental or spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.”

“A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

]]> By: Alex Kervyn http://py111.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/nietzsche-on-mills-utilitarianism/#comment-304 Alex Kervyn Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:55:26 +0000 http://py111.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/nietzsche-on-mills-utilitarianism/#comment-304 Mill is susceptible to Nietzsche's critique in the same sense that Christianity is- Mill goes to great lengths to demonstrate that Utilitarianism is in fact a way to derive Christian moral principles. He does this fairly successfully in that "love thy neighbour" seems to be necessary to any functional version of Utilitarianism. However, without this "fellow-feeling", as Mill calls it, Utilitarianism seems infeasible. Nietzsche attacks this whole idea rather ferociously in "Beyond Good and Evil', as does Freud in "Civilisation and its Discontents". Indeed this is why Freud dismisses Communism as impossible- he says that people can't live together in harmony. Mill is susceptible to Nietzsche’s critique in the same sense that Christianity is- Mill goes to great lengths to demonstrate that Utilitarianism is in fact a way to derive Christian moral principles. He does this fairly successfully in that “love thy neighbour” seems to be necessary to any functional version of Utilitarianism. However, without this “fellow-feeling”, as Mill calls it, Utilitarianism seems infeasible. Nietzsche attacks this whole idea rather ferociously in “Beyond Good and Evil’, as does Freud in “Civilisation and its Discontents”. Indeed this is why Freud dismisses Communism as impossible- he says that people can’t live together in harmony.

]]> By: elusivex http://py111.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/nietzsche-on-mills-utilitarianism/#comment-285 elusivex Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:14:26 +0000 http://py111.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/nietzsche-on-mills-utilitarianism/#comment-285 as i remember Mill was an advocate for all values- he id3entified the way in which all cutures have created theri own standards for virtue--- For me, Mill was not creatign propaganda but was vowing for conscious human evolution.. as i remember Mill was an advocate for all values- he id3entified the way in which all cutures have created theri own standards for virtue—
For me, Mill was not creatign propaganda but was vowing for conscious human evolution..

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