Thomas Carlyle
(1795 - 1881)
Misanthropic Victorian essayist Thomas Carlyle described utilitarianism as "pig philosophy". Given the abysmal way we treat our fellow creatures, such an absence of arbitrary anthropocentric bias is scarcely a reproach. However, Carlyle shared an equal aversion from Burke's "swinish multitude" and their simple pleasures. In response, JS Mill sought to improve Bentham's theory by invoking "higher" and "lower" pleasures: "Better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied".
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