Utilitarianism is a philosophy of jurisprudence whose adherents believe that law must be made to conform to its most socially useful purpose. Although utilitarians differ as to the meaning of the word useful, most agree that a law's usefulness, or utility, may be defined in terms of its ability to increase happiness, wealth, or justice in society. Alternatively, some utilitarians measure a law's utility by its ability to decrease unhappiness, poverty, or injustice.
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