... seen as a response to the criticisms that had been made of Bentham's utilitarianism. Bentham's account of utilitarianism was hedonistic, i.e. he believed that any experience that made someone better off counts as pleasure, whether that is reading philosophy or drinking champagne. Bentham considered that pleasure was a single concept; 'Quantity of pleasure being equal, pushpin is as good as poetry'. However Mill drew apart from Bentham because he rejected the idea that pleasure was a single thing, instead maintaining that some kinds of pleasure are more desirable and valuable than others. He maintains that only the wise person who has experienced both higher and lower pleasures can discriminate between them. For example, a few years ago a black man was dragged to his death behind an old truck. The immediate consequences might be some sick sense of pleasure for the guilty parties, the suffering and death of the man, ...

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