John Stuart Mill proposed the following argument for utilitarianism: "No reason can be given why the general happiness is desirable, except that each person, so far as he believes it to be attainable, desires his own happiness." How might one criticize it?
A) This argument is problematic because Mill seeks to derive an "ought" from an "is."
B) This argument is problematic because Mill was a well-known supporter of duty ethics.
C) This argument is problematic because the conclusion is a factual statement, not a moral one.
D) This argument is problematic because Mill confused happiness with Aristotle's notion of Eudaimonia.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mill's argument is criticized for attempting to derive an ethical principle (what we ought to do) from a descriptive fact (what is the case), which is a version of the is-ought problem identified by David Hume.

John Stuart Mill Proposed the Following Argument for Utilitarianism: "No