Definitions of Happiness

I do not think that Mill does a sufficient job in addressing the chief complaints and misconceptions that surround utilitarianism. My primary objection with his argument begins with his initial explanation of right and wrong in relation to happiness.  Mill says that, “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong in proportion as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.  By ‘happiness’ is meant pleasure and the absence of pain; by ‘unhappiness’ is meant pain and the lack of pleasure” [5].   Here, Mill seems to commit some type of fallacy of definition because his definition of happiness is vague.  Mill uses a negative definition, which is essentially defining something by what it is not. His definition of happiness is dependent on the absence of pain, suggesting that these two concepts are mutually exclusive.  Happiness and pain are not mutually exclusive because you do not need to lack pain in order to experience happiness.   This false mutual exclusivity can be used to falsify later claims. Mill later tries to differentiate between the different kinds of happiness (pleasure) by arguing that “pleasures of the intellect, of the feelings and imagination and of the moral sentiments a much higher value as pleasures than to those of mere sensation” [5]. If this and Mill’s negative definition of happiness is true, then the avoidance of intellectual pain is more desirable than the avoidance of physical pain.  I would definitely prefer to be insulted by someone than punched.  I think that it is safe to assume that intellectual pain is preferred over physical pain. This assumption is consistent with the age-old saying, “sticks and stone may break my bones but names can never hurt me”.  I don’t think that he can argue that one pleasure is better than the other.  I think that Mill needs to revisit his definition of happiness to strengthen his argument and I think that he needs to come up with more proof to support his assertion that intellectual pleasure is more valuable than sensational pleasure.