Final answer:
Mill values intellectual pleasures over non-intellectual ones because they engage higher cognitive faculties, defining humans and offering more complex satisfaction than mere sensory pleasure. The potential for dissatisfaction with intellectual pursuits also fosters improvement, contributing to a qualitative distinction in utilitarian enjoyment.
Step-by-step explanation:
John Stuart Mill argues that intellectual pleasures hold a higher value than non-intellectual pleasures because they involve the exercise of our higher faculties. According to Mill, these higher pleasures stem from activities that engage our cognitive abilities, such as reason, imagination, and moral understanding, which differentiate us from other species and mark a defining feature of human life.
He believes that intellectual pleasures not only offer a qualitative improvement over the lower, sensory pleasures but also enhance the quantity of pleasure in the long run. Mill's famous statement, "it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied", illustrates the concept that the capacity for complex pleasure, even with the risk of dissatisfaction, outweighs a simple life of basic contentment.
Mill further elaborates by suggesting that dissatisfaction can lead to higher pleasures because it prompts us to improve our circumstances and seek a better world, a process which in itself can be satisfying. This view aligns with the qualitative distinction in his utilitarian philosophy, setting it apart from Bentham's strictly quantitative approach. By emphasizing qualitative distinctions, Mill incorporates complexity and diversity into the concept of pleasure, which in turn can enrich our understanding and experience of a fulfilling life.