Thomas Carlyle
(1795 - 1881)

picture of Thomas Carlyle
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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