Comments on: What happens to the old economy in the new media? (aka the eclipse of interest) http://cultureby.com/2008/05/what-happens-to.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Wed, 23 May 2012 20:32:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: srp http://cultureby.com/2008/05/what-happens-to.html/comment-page-1#comment-1727 srp Thu, 15 May 2008 19:32:12 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=283#comment-1727 I'm not too worried that individual demand will suffer from a lack of self-interest anytime soon. People may wrap their self-interest in an explanation that sounds more romantic, and they may define their self-interest (as they often have throughout history) partly in terms of the ascendancy of their ideas, friends, social identity group, or country, but the game will still be the same for the typical capitalist: Figure out what people are willing to pay more for than it costs to provide, and beat the competition. I'm more concerned with the use of collective power to rule certain interests invalid and others privileged; to stifle innovation with precautionary phantasms; to enable an endless string of veto players on any private project; to block judgments of value or merit in the name of "fairness;" and the many, many other encroachments that threaten the House that Smith Built. I’m not too worried that individual demand will suffer from a lack of self-interest anytime soon. People may wrap their self-interest in an explanation that sounds more romantic, and they may define their self-interest (as they often have throughout history) partly in terms of the ascendancy of their ideas, friends, social identity group, or country, but the game will still be the same for the typical capitalist: Figure out what people are willing to pay more for than it costs to provide, and beat the competition.

I’m more concerned with the use of collective power to rule certain interests invalid and others privileged; to stifle innovation with precautionary phantasms; to enable an endless string of veto players on any private project; to block judgments of value or merit in the name of “fairness;” and the many, many other encroachments that threaten the House that Smith Built.

]]> By: bowerbird http://cultureby.com/2008/05/what-happens-to.html/comment-page-1#comment-1726 bowerbird Wed, 14 May 2008 14:57:37 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=283#comment-1726 you would do better to use the term "self-interest" instead of "interest". it would help you see where the problems enter into the situation, and why the human race cannot continue to let itself move in that direction. -bowerbird you would do better to use the term “self-interest” instead of “interest”.

it would help you see where the problems enter into the situation, and
why the human race cannot continue to let itself move in that direction.

-bowerbird

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