Comparing Red Delicious Apple To A Braeburn Apple

Comparing desire satisfaction theory and informed-desire satisfaction theory is like comparing a Red Delicious Apple to a Braeburn Apple. Both have a similar dark red appearance however, they have a different taste, or result just as the two theories of what is intrinsically valuable, good for its own sake, and what leads to a valuable life while similar, yield a different result. The first, Desire satisfaction theory, argues that all and only the satisfaction of intrinsic desires has intrinsic value. Under this theory the satisfaction of the most basic desires such as eating to the most advanced desires such as reading a book hold the same value. For example, my friend Cindy desires to and spends most of her life sitting on the couch, eating
An informed desire are those desires that a competent judge, or someone with a wide experience of pleasures from those most simple such as laying in the sun to more advanced pleasures such as writing an essay, would have. Mill introduces this theory in chapter two of his Utilitarianism by differentiating between lower quality bodily pleasures, such as eating and sleeping which we share with animals, and higher quality intellectual pleasures, such as reading poetry and viewing art. Mill then argues that an individual with a wide experience of pleasures, a competent judge, will prefer a life with higher quality pleasures; therefore, only a life with higher quality pleasures has intrinsic value (Mill
A chief example affirming informed-desire satisfaction theory is comparing intellectual human beings to animals. For instance, my dog Simmi is extremely successful in satisfying his desires of belly rubs, treats, and laying in a sun beam. Whereas my desire of mastering Chinese on the other hand is far harder to satisfy. A desire satisfaction theorist would advocate for changing places with my dog, as under their theory he has a far more valuable life; however, this is not plausible as most reasonable humans are not going to trade places with a dog, or opt for a life of lower quality desires when aware of the wide array of desires. As Mill states “It is between to be human and dissatisfied, than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied, than a fool satisfied.” (Mill 13) The addition of one word, informed, to desire satisfaction theory differentiates a life of satisfied lower quality pleasures and a life of satisfied higher quality pleasures. It is this distinction that causes my life filled with intellectual desires to be of higher value than the life of my friend Cindy who only desires to watch reality TV, and the life of my of my dog Simmi. Thus, it is clear that informed-desire satisfaction theory is far more plausible than desire satisfaction