PHI 2174 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Rational Agent, Consumerism, Immanuel Kant
29 Jul 2016
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Studies the behaviour of individuals, households, and organizations (called economic actors, players, or agents), when they manage or use scarce resources. The best decision is the one most efficient in bringing about utility. Sagoff contends that cost/benefit type decision making is becoming more common in the public ream. The only values we have, on this view, are those which a market can price. ": whether they are individual/consumer-based decisions. Thinking of values in terms of willingness to pay. We act as consumers to get what we want for ourselves. We act as citizens to achieve what we think is right or best for the community. ". The free" market can take into account and price, or weigh, preferences, wants, desires, and inclinations. It cannot deal with absolute values or something with intrinsic worth, which cannot be measured on the cost/benefit scale. There are some things that just defy the utilitarian calculator.
