John Stuart Mill's Philosophy of Utilitarianism Research Proposal

Moreover, how does he justify saying one would rather be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool who is satisfied? His point is obvious - it is better to have brains and not achieve happiness than be dumb and be contented. But Socrates, brilliant as he was, chose death over exile from Athens, which it can be argued did not lead to happiness in Socrates nor in the students who admired him, nor did it lead to happiness in Plato, the scribe who catalogued all that Socrates said. Taking it one step farther, as Mill often does to make his points, had Socrates moved out of Athens, he could have continues to share his wondrous insights with Plato and the world would have benefited in millennia to come. And after all, if Mill's entire thesis is that happiness is the goal for all individuals, who then is to say that a simpleton homeless man eating three square meals a day in a shelter and sleeping in a warm bed is not the happiest person in the city, or even the world?

Works Cited

Mill, John Stuart.The Utilitarians: An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation - Jeremy Bentham - Utilitarianism and on Liberty - John Stuart Mill.….....