Concept of Happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Concept of Happiness - Essay Example The moral philosophies of J.S. Mill and Kant are structurally so different in as much as Mill puts a primary importance, and strictly, on empiricism, or natural experience as basis for morality, whereas Kant's basis for morality (the morality of metaphysics) stems from a priori knowledge or what he calls pure reason - laws which are evident in every rational being. Utilitarianism putting happiness as the supreme guide for spelling out what is good and right is quite clear on putting forward a means while Kant's insistence on intuitive derivation of what is moral, is quite unshakeable on what the end must be - which must be unconditional on any value or preference, happiness including. Utility is synonymous to pleasure or happiness for a Utilitarian moralist like J.S. Mill. He recognizes that all desirable things differs from one individual to another, and are desirable either for their own sake or as a means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain. However, J.S.