According to the philosopher John Stuart Mill, who's happiness should we promote? Does this extend to animals?

Question

I'm doing some philosophy homework right now, and this is the one question we're having some problems with. Reading a passage on the philosophy of utilitarianism of John Stuart Mill, the question is:

Who's happiness or pleasure, then, should we promote? Are animals included?

Help???? It's due tonight! :-S

Answer 1

I would say that our promotion of happiness should depend, to some extent, on the capacity of the thing in question to appreciate happiness.  Animals presumably feel pain, and so we should not exacerbate that.  Arguably, they can feel comfort, somewhat like our happiness, so we should promote that.  So, yes, the animals are included to some degree, as are mentally incompetent and morally deficient humans, since they can appreciate happiness to some extent.