OU on the BBC: Justice: How To Measure Pleasure

Creative Commons Image St Stev under CC-BY-NC-ND licence In the third in this series drawn from Harvard professor Michael Sandel's famous lectures on the philosophy of justice, he introduces the British philosopher John Stuart Mill, and compares the artistic merits of Shakespeare and The Simpsons.

Mill argued that seeking the greatest good for the greatest number is compatible with protecting individual rights, and that utilitarianism can make room for a distinction between higher and lower pleasures.

Michael Sandel tests Mill's theory that the higher pleasure is that which is preferred by a well-informed majority, by playing video clips from three very different forms of entertainment: Shakespeare's Hamlet, the reality show Fear Factor, and The Simpsons. Students debate their own preferences and whether Mill's defense of utilitarianism is successful.

How To Measure Pleasure broadcasts first on BBC Four at 8.30pm on Tuesday 8th February, 2011.

Find out more

Want to know more about philosophy, ethics and right and wrong? Consider these courses from The Open University:

• Exploring philosophy
• Philosophy and the human situation
• Ethics in real life
• Power, dissent, equality

Justice: A Citizen's Guide