John Stuart Mill, in his Utilitarianism, turns morality into a practical problem. His moral theory is designed to help one evaluate his moral principles and senisibilites and be able to ajudicate conflictions in moral conflicts. Mill postulates that actions are right so far as they tend to promote happiness and minimize pain. This theory manifests itself as an impartial promotion of happiness. Morally "right" actions are ones which promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number number of people and reduce pain. Utilitarian moral theories need to be coupled with theories of well-being, so that we can point to what is being maximized through the moral theory's operation. Mill's moral theory is no different. Three theories of well-being must be considered, one of which fits Mill's moral theory most appropriately. Experientialism, or hedonism, is a theory of well-being that advocates an unwavering pursuit of pleasure through desireable experiences. The theory is a mental state account which stipulates that a person's life is going well insofar as they are having pleasurable experiences and what Experientialist call "desireable consciousness." We strive to have experiences in which we can arrive at the mental state of "desireable consciousness." The Desire Theory postulates that a person's life is going well to the extent that his desires are fulfilled, regardless of the content of those desires. There is no hierarchy of desires in this account; Desire Theorists see no difference between a desire to throw a piece of trash into a wastebasket yards away and desire to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Lastly is the Substantive Goods Theory which, when compared with the requirements and goals of the preceeding two, surfaces as the theory of well-being most compatible with what Mill writes about what it means for someone to live a good life. Experientialism and the Desire Theory are not totally in conflict with what Mill writes about w...
