Utilitarianism of John Stuart Mill and his relation to Eudaimonism

9. The concept of happiness
10. Bliss (eudaimonia) as the last goal; the way of achieving bliss
11. The concept of virtue and its types
12. Historical overview of utilitarianism
13. Basic principles of utilitarianism

Since utilitarianism works with the central notion of happiness, the introductory part of the lecture is devoted to a general reflection of the notion of happiness, based on the ancient differentiation of different kinds of happiness (eutychia, eudaimonia, makariotes). In the second part, Aristotle's central concept of bliss is thematized as the last goal of all human relation. Aristotle distinguishes three paths to eudaimonia: the life of sense gratification, the political life, and the philosophical life. The highest path is represented by the philosophical life of seeing the divine being. In the final part, the interpretation is focused on the characteristics of the concept of virtue and its types. Examples of particular virtues, such as bravery or rationality, conclude the interpretation.
In the first part of the utilitarianism, utilitarian theories are presented in their historical development. Emphasis is placed on illuminating the initial concept of J. Bentham and its development in the classic work Utilitarianism by J. S. Mill. Again, the notion of happiness and the question of how to measure and evaluate this sought happiness play a central role. The second part focuses on explaining the basic principles of utilitarianism, especially the principle of utility. The explanation is concluded by a practical exercise of the so-called 'hedonistic calculus', which each listener carries out for himself and which is then discussed with others. The course also includes a joint viewing and discussion on lectures by Michal Sandel (justiceharvard.org), focusing on the issue of justice with an emphasis on solving and discussing ethical dilemmas.