Noun
utility function (plural utility functions)
(game theory) A mathematical function that assigns a real number to every element of the outcome space in a way that captures the agent's preferences over both simple and compound lotteries.
... the true utility function of life, that which is being maximised in the natural world, is DNA survival. But DNA is not floating free; it is locked up in living bodies and it has made the most of the levers of power at its disposal. Richard Dawkins