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Full Idea
What can be proved good must be so by being shown to be a means to something admitted to be good without proof. Music is good because it produces pleasure, but what proof is it possible to give that pleasure is good?
Gist of Idea
Ultimate goods such as pleasure can never be proved to be good
Source
John Stuart Mill (Utilitarianism [1861], Ch.1)
Book Ref
Mill,John Stuart: 'Utilitarianism (including On Liberty etc)', ed/tr. Warnock,Mary [Fontana 1962], p.255
| 3554 | Bentham thinks happiness is feeling good, but why use morality to achieve that? [Annas on Bentham] |
| 3781 | The value of pleasures and pains is their force [Bentham] |
| 3763 | Ultimate goods such as pleasure can never be proved to be good [Mill] |
| 3765 | Only pleasure and freedom from pain are desirable as ends [Mill] |
| 3766 | Better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied [Mill] |
| 5398 | Judgements of usefulness depend on judgements of value [Russell] |
| 20585 | If an experience machine gives you any experience you want, should you hook up for life? [Nozick] |
| 20883 | Modern utilitarians value knowledge, friendship, autonomy, and achievement, as well as pleasure [Hooker,B] |