快乐是否存在质量上的差别?——为约翰·密尔的高级快乐学说辩护

Is There Any Qualitative Difference between Pleasures? ——A defense of John Stuart Mill's Doctrine of Higher Pleasure

约翰·密尔认为,如果某些种类的快乐在质量上胜过另外一些种类的快乐的话,那么,前一种类的快乐会胜过"任何数量"的后一种类的快乐。他的这一高级快乐学说一直饱受争议。学者们一方面指责密尔对快乐按质量进行区分的做法与其功利主义原则相悖;另一方面指责他所进行的对高级快乐学说的"证明"是一种循环论证;也有批评者指出,人们实际上无法将高级快乐与低级快乐区分开。如果这些质疑都是合理的,那么密尔的高级快乐学说就不成立。实际上,如果仔细阅读他的《逻辑体系》,我们就会发现上述质疑都是不成立的。

John Stuart Mill holds that if some kind of pleasure is superior to some other kinds of pleasure,the former will be superior to'any quantity'of the later.Such a so-called doctrine of higher pleasure is subject to critics.Some scholars deny that Mill's telling pleasure apart by quality is compatible with his utilitarianism.Others criticize that his'proof'of the doctrine is a circular argument.Besides,some people recognize that we cannot distinguish the higher pleasure from the lower one.If such comments above are reasonable,Mill's doctrine will not be valid.However,if we read his A System of Logic carefully,we will know that they are all invalid.