Economics and Its Ethical Assumptions
Why value-subjectivism in economics doesn’t imply value-subjectivism in ethics, and might even imply the reverse.
Why value-subjectivism in economics doesn’t imply value-subjectivism in ethics, and might even imply the reverse.
Anderson's contribution to economic theory is summed up in his two books: Social Value and The Value of Money.
Ayn Rand made the case for the freedom philosophy in the most aggressive manner possible, bless her. And, "capitalism" was a crucial element of that effort.
In a governmentally controlled society, the unrestricted enjoyment of property ownership is not permitted, since government has the power to tax, regulate, and sometimes even confiscate (as in eminent domain) just about anything it pleases. In a laissez-faire society, everything which was valued and rationally claimed would be owned, and this ownership would be total.
The thought mechanisms that lead some people to like (or, as economists say, have preference for) gambling are of no more economic interest than the reasons why some people like going to soccer games while others like to stay at home. Answering such questions may be a job for psychologists, but it is not one for economists.
Being ill is not a phenomenon independent of conscious will and of psychic forces working in the subconscious.
Social institutions matter most, and they are very wrong now: a huge improvement is possible, and freedom is the answer.
Although Menger is acclaimed primarily for his role in developing what is now known as marginal-utility theory, his writings on methodological individualism, subjective value, and the economic character of goods ("Menger's Law") deserve more attention.
If pushed too far, Cowen's line of thought could lead to an undue subjectivism, in which people's perceptions and classifications, rather than what actually occurs, would be the sole issues of importance.