es; thus it is a consequentialist theory. As Bayles and Henley succinctly put it, "conduct is right or wrong depending on whether it produces as much net utility (the balance of happiness over unhappiness) as anything else that could be done" (99). This statement is similar to the "benefits versus risk" ratio that medical personnel discuss. Will the overall health of the patient be sufficiently improved by a somewhat risky back operation, or should alternative therapies be employed? Thus, another part of utilitarianism's appeal is its levelheaded approach to practical problems.
In Utilitarianism and its Critics, Glover includes Bentham's first chapter of An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, first published in 1789. Bentham argues that "Nature has placed mankind under two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure. It is for them alone to point out what we ought to do, as well as to determine what we shall do" (Glover 9). In a subsequent chapter, Glover uses John Stuart Mill's "Of What Sort of Proof the Principle of Utility is Susceptible" in order to show how Mill strengthened Bentham's original argument by stating that happiness is desirable as an end in itself. We can see the reality of utilitarian doctrine in existence when we see people striving for happiness. Mill's argument proceeds from the statements "the only proof that sound is audible, is that people actually hear it, the o
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