Utilitarianism & John Stuart Mill

Utilitarianism is an ideology built by John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) and Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), and is based on the idea that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its utility in providing happiness among all beings. In other words, the worth of an action is determined by its outcome.

This ideology was the basis of JSM's strong opposition to Slavery, and for this support for Women's Rights.

Quotes by JSM -

"A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury."


"Indeed the dictum that truth always triumphs over persecution, is one of those pleasant falsehoods which men repeat after one another till they pass into common places, but which all experience refutes."


"No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought."


"One person with a belief is equal to a force of 99 who have only interests."


"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person 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."
"Next to selfishness the principal cause which makes life unsatisfactory is want of mental cultivation."  (Defence of Hedonism)


Everyone who receives the protection of society owes a return for the benefit. (On Liberty)

Over one's mind and over one's body the individual is sovereign. (On Liberty)

"The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant."
(On Liberty)

"He who lets the world, or his own portion of it, choose his plan of life for him, has no need of any other faculty than the ape-like one of imitation. He who chooses his plan for himself, employs all his faculties. He must use observation to see, reasoning and judgment to foresee, activity to gather materials for decision, discrimination to decide, and when he has decided, firmness and self-control to hold to his deliberate decision."  (On Liberty, 1859)



"No one can be a great thinker who does not recognize that as a thinker it is his first duty to follow his intellect to whatever conclusions it may lead. Truth gains more even by the errors of one who, with due study, and preparation, thinks for himself, than by the true opinions of those who only hold them because they do not suffer themselves to think."(On Liberty, 1859)



"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." (On Liberty, 1859)

Bismarck & Moltke

Some of the most forthright comments I have come across about international relations are from Otto Van Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor of Germany (1815-1898) and Helmuth von Moltke (1800-1891).

Here is an excerpt from Bismarck's advise to a Japanese (Iwakura) mission in 1872:

"Nations these days appear to conduct relations with amity and courtesy, but this is entirely suprfricial, for behind this facade lurks mutual contempt, and a struggle for supremacy. As you gentlemen know, when I was a young boy Prussia was weak and poor. The state of this small nations at that time fills me with such intense indignation that I cannot dispel the image from my mind. First, so-called international law, which was supposed to protect the rights of all nations, afforded us no security at all. When there was a dispute, the great powers would invoke international law and stand their ground if they stood to benefit; but if they stood to lose, they would simply change direction and resort to military force, which was never limited to self-defence alone. However, small nations like ours would assiduously stick to the letter of the law and abide by universal principles, not daring to transgress these. Consequently, in the face of manoeuvring with flattery and contempt by the great powers, we invariably failed to protect our right of independence, no matter how hard we tried."

"Incensed by this deplorable state of affairs, we gathered our strength as a nation and strove to cultivate out patriotic spirit in order to become a country worthy of respect in diplomatic affairs..."

And Moktle in Feb, 1974:

"The principles of law, justice and freedom serve to protect the country domestically, but only military power can protect it abroad. International law, too, is concerned only with a country's strength and weakness, for its is the small nations which remain neutral and are protected solely by this law, whereas great powers must use their strength to claim their rights"

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Reference:

Kume, Kunitake (1880s), Japan Rising - The Iwakura Embassy to the USA and Europe 1871-1873, Cambridge University Press (2009), pp. 306-7, 311