Instructions: Your 5-8 sentence paragraphs should demonstrate an obvious good faith effort to carefully and fairlyaddress the questionsbelow about our reading.

Question for your Critical Paragraph:

Background: Mill grounds utilitarianism in the "greatest happiness principle" (p. 7) and then gives proof of the operation of this principle in one's own desires, pains, and pleasure (see, for example, p. 35).

Question: First, what is the "greatest happiness principle"? How does Mill define ‘happiness'? Are all pleasures the same or are some pleasures determined to be more valuable to a human life than others? Finally, how does Mill move from one's interest in one's own happiness to one's obligation to promote the happiness of others (i.e., how is he able to shift from the fact that we do desire our own individual happiness to the claim that we ought tofoster universal happiness)?

Clearly state (in 1-4 complete sentences) a possible thesis for an essay that is obviously connected with the assigned material.