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John Stuart Mill, Immanuel Kant and Aristotle Discussion

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1. To what was Mill referring when he said, “It is better to be a human being

dissatisfied than a pig satisfied”? Do you agree with this statement? Why or why

not? Please give reasons to support your claim.

Mill is saying that it is better to be the Higher being, in this case the human, than it is to the lower being,

the Pig, because of the knowledge that comes with being Human. He uses this analogy to demonstrate

that know person with higher knowledge would choose a life with less knowledge in it. He also explains

that people with less knowledge may think they are satisfied in life, but if they knew better, they would

no longer that they were actually satisfied at all. This is where the phrase “Ignorance is Bliss” comes

from, because often times, yes it is blissful to know less, but in the end a “Higher” person is often left

unsatisfied because they don’t want the blissfulness of ignorance, they want the knowledge of knowing

more. I do agree with his statements, because I like to claim that Ignorance is Bliss, but my brain will not

drop things. If someone is talking and they will not include me or explain to me what they are talking

about, I get upset. I am a person that always listens, and is always trying to understand everything that is

going on around me. So I may say, ignorance is bliss, but I will always end up asking questions to try to

further my understanding of what is being talked about.

2. Why does Kant say that the good will is good without qualification? Do you agree

with Kant? Why or why not? Please give reasons to support your claim.

Kant explains that to have good will without qualification, is to be a person who’s motivation is to do

good things, and to act upon those good things. It is not good will if you just think about doing good

things, unless you then carry them out. For an example, you can think, I want to go down to the

homeless shelter and serve food on Thanksgiving. It is not good will unless you act upon that

thought and then carry it out. This means that good will is always good, because it is the act of doing

good. I do agree with Kant’s explanation of good will. It is not enough for someone to simple think

about doing good deeds, because what good is just thinking about it. You have to act out your good

deeds in order to truly be good. It is good to think about good things as well, because the more you

think about doing good things, the better your chances are that you will actually act upon those

good thoughts, and vice versa. If someone thinks bad thought or ill will thoughts all the time, the

likelihood that that person will do good things is slim. But in the end, its our actions that are judged

not out thoughts.

3. According to Aristotle, what is happiness and how does it relate to virtue? Do you

agree with Aristotle? Why or why not? Please give reasons to support your claim.

For Aristotle, happiness is our highest goal in life. He states that we should not aim at happiness, but

do happiness. I think that goes along with what Kant was explaining about good will, only Aristotle

relates it to happiness. Don’t just “think” about being happy, go and “do happy”. Aristotle goes on to

explain that happiness, is not about the physical things in life but the good things we do in life that

will bring us happiness. He then explains that people who are virtuous, are the most happy because

they have behave in the right manner. Courage is a sign of virtue, people who are courageous will be

confident in the face of fear, and will see their courageousness as virtue, and be happy. On the other

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1. To what was Mill referring when he said, “It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied”? Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? Please give reasons to support your claim. Mill is saying that it is better to be the Higher being, in this case the human, than it is to the lower being, the Pig, because of the knowledge that comes with being Human. He uses this analogy to demonstrate that know person with higher knowledge would choose a life with less knowledge in it. He also explains that people with less knowledge may think they are satisfied in life, but ...
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Tags: higher knowledge good will without qualification sign of virtue Aristotle Philosophy Kant and Mill