Utilitarianism

What reasons does Mill give in support of the Greatest Happiness Principle?  Is utilitarianism a “pig philosophy?” How does Mill explain the fact that some people choose lower pleasures over higher pleasures? Do you agree with his assessment?

I did not fully understand the term Utilitarianism until this reading. From the reading I have arrived to the conclusion that Utilitarianism is the state of happiness that may cause pleasure but may also cause pain if there is a lack of pleasure. No one’s happiness is greater than another’s and the utility of something has to be of value. Happiness is caused by actions that one takes and continues to do so to their benefit and others; some find themselves to be happier than others. In response to the question, Is utilitarianism a “pig philosophy?”, After reading the phrase “And if the fool, or the pig,” from John Mill’s, Utilitarianism, it is not a pig philosophy. Pig Philosophy is believing that humans are just creatures and do not have a great sense of rationalism. Do I agree that humans are just creatures? No, I do not. After seeing the author refer to humans as creatures who should have a greater sense of good and bad, I believe that Utilitarianism is not pig philosophy. He also explains how some humans have a lower expectation of happiness and some have higher expectations. Those who have lower expectations of happiness have higher pleasures and are almost easily happy. They do not see as much imperfections or flaws to their source of happiness. On the other side there are the people with a greater sense expectations and normally are a little too focused on the issues that they do not feel as much pleasure. John Mills writes, “It is indisputable that the being whose capacities of enjoyment are low, has the greatest chance of having them fully satisfied; and a highly endowed being will always feel that any happiness which he can look for, as the world is constituted, is imperfect.” After reading that section, I can not help but to concur with the fact that there are people with different states of pleasures based on certain expectations. Give a homeless man 20 dollars and they will be more happy than a billionaire with those exact 20 dollars. I feel like it is not a choice on where we fall on the scale. There are certain factors that say where our pleasures will lay upon based on how we are raised.