Abstract

This essay situates Mill in relation to modern utilitarianism, comparing some of his ideas with current thinking and highlighting aspects of his thought that have influenced it. Scholarly controversy over whether Mill was an act‐ or rule‐utilitarian has had a lasting influence on modern utilitarianism, prodding theorists to identify and refine various possible forms of the theory. By contrast, Mill's defense of a qualitatively‐oriented hedonism and his famous ‘proof’ of the theory have had little impact. Nevertheless, utilitarians today share his skepticism about moral intuition and his belief that any acceptable moral system must have a consequentialist structure. Mill strengthened the case for utilitarianism by answering various objections to it, objections that utilitarianism's detractors continue to advance. His rejoinders to these criticisms are among his most seminal contributions to utilitarian thinking because his arguments and insights, many utilitarians believe, point toward a sophisticated, largely indirect form of utilitarianism, one that is subtle, refined, and attractive.