ruth.Mill's greatest impact was his views on utilitarianism. In his essay Utilitarianism in 1863, Mill undertook the first real critical analysis of utilitarianism. He attempted to combine rationalism and romanticism to create both an objective political philosophy and a morally satisfying one. Mill asserted that life could not be judged on the simple hedonic principle of pleasure and pain, which Bentham had used because life was just more complicated. Not all pleasures are equal in value, he said, with the pleasures preferred by people with more developed character ethically superior than others. Unlike Bentham, who did not believe the prospect of man being able to pursue spiritual perfection, Mill placed equal importance on the cultivation of feeling and the building of character. He also passionately defended the rights of free speech and the value of individuality. Mill showed the fact that a wide range of character was to be found in society, and that some of it certainly was not exactly ethically fit, fearing that public opinion could become a sort of tyrannical mob majority suppressing all else if society's moral character was not improved. Therefore, he advocated limits on the legitimate interference of the collective will upon the individual would. He also held a belief that classic liberalism and utilitarianism did not cover enough, advocating radical progressive reforms in such areas as state action, suffrage, compulsory education, and social control.http://www.utilitarianism.com/jsmill.htmhttp://www.island-of-freedom.com/MILL.HTMhttp://www.utm.edu/research/iep/m/milljs.htm...
