This branch of utilitarianism is qualitative; it is not merely the amount of pleasure or pain that is important. As such, some pleasures are 'higher' or better than others.
Mill thought that there was an objective test to decide which pleasures are higher than others; if almost everyone who knows what they are talking about compares two pleasures and agrees that the first is 'more desirable and valuable' than the second, then the first is a higher pleasure.
This is known as the rule of the competent judge.
This creates an additional problem; how can we tell if a pleasure if more valuable or just more pleasurable? (Quality vs. quantity). Mill stated people have to prefer a higher pleasure, even if that pleasure brings pain with it. e.g.) Being in love has the potential pain or longing or breaking up, but most people would prefer it to eating delicious food.
Mill saw that as long as their physical needs were met, they would prefer intellectual pleasures (thought, feeling and imagination) than sensual pleasures of the body. Our higher capacities mean we can also experience boredom, terrible pain and dissatisfaction, and despite this, people still prefer intellectual pleasures, meaning it must be of higher value.

	Created by Summer Pearce about 8 years ago

AS - Level (Year 1) Ethics (Utilitarianism) Slide Set on Rule Utilitarianism, created by Summer Pearce on 22/05/2016.

Rule Utilitarianism