John Stuart Mill&#39;s &quot;Utilitarianism&quot; is a philosophical defense of utilitarianism in ethics. The essay first appeared in 1861.&nbsp;<br /><br />&quot;Utilitarianism&quot; is an essay written to provide support for the value of utilitarianism as a moral theory, and to respond to misconceptions about it. Mill defines utilitarianism as a theory based on the principle that &quot;actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.&quot; Mill defines happiness as pleasure and the absence of pain. He argues that pleasure can differ in quality and quantity, and that pleasures that are rooted in one&#39;s higher faculties should be weighted more heavily than baser pleasures. Furthermore, Mill argues that people&#39;s achievement of goals and ends, such as virtuous living, should be counted as part of their happiness.