Final answer:
John Stuart Mill's concept of higher pleasures includes intellectual, artistic, and social activities that engage our higher faculties, which he regarded as more valuable than basic sensory pleasures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Philosopher John Stuart Mill revised the concept of utilitarianism by introducing the idea of higher pleasures. Mill distinguished between higher and lower pleasures by asserting that higher pleasures are those that engage our higher faculties such as reason, imagination, and a moral sense. These pleasures are typically involved with intellectual pursuits, artistic enjoyment, and social or cultural activities, often resulting in mental satisfaction. On the contrary, lower pleasures are associated with the satisfaction of more basic needs and sensory enjoyments, such as eating when hungry or resting after exertion.
According to Mill, higher pleasures have more value and should be given greater weight when making moral decisions because they contribute to the development and well-being of our higher faculties, which are unique and essential attributes of human existence. Mill argues that even being dissatisfied as a human being is preferable to a satisfied lower existence, because of the potential for higher pleasures that only humans can appreciate and aim for.
In summary, Mill's view on higher and lower pleasures adds a qualitative aspect to the utilitarian calculus, which was not present in the purely quantitative approach of his predecessors like Jeremy Bentham.