According to John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism is the moral theory that believes the main purpose of all life is to promote the most amount of happiness and pleasure possible or least amount of pain for people as a whole. In the article, Mill speaks of self-sacrifice and how it applies to Utilitarianism. Based on the reading, Mill believes that self-sacrifice, as in giving up one's individual happiness, can at times be a noble and morally right act, but only based on the ends which they create. To elaborate, Mill's idea of Utilitarianism would not condemn but actually praise a person who is willing to give up all their happiness in order to promote the happiness of others. The entire point of life, according to Utilitarianism, is to promote as much happiness as possible so if that martyr actually does increase the happiness of others in his self-sacrifice then he has succeeded and lived a virtuous life. However, Mill also states that the act cannot be good in itself for the mere fact that one sacrificed their happiness. If increased happiness of others is not the end of one's self-sacrifice, then the act was unnecessary, unmoral, and a waste.
When looking at the common pleasures and amusement of today's world as a whole, I do not think they nourish nor cultivate our higher natures but cater to our lower, physical pleasures. I'm inclined to believe so because the way in which we stimulate ourselves does not promote intellectual development. For example, millions of people own iPods which allow us to listen to music nonstop. We spend so much time merely enjoying the physical act of hearing music, however very few people feed their higher natures of intellect and learn to play instruments. This idea can be seen through children's play as well. Children of the 21st century often find entertainment in videogames that only involve feeble objectives like shoot the opponent or find the customer the right article of clothing. Instead of developing strategic thinking...