Monday, October 17, 2011

10/17

Doing something good for yourself, exercising, quitting smoking, whatever, is societally regarded as good. Running a profit seeking company for your own profit is regarded as bad. Why are those bad/different?

Unconnectedly giving someone money when they've given you a kidney makes you a good person, but actually paying someone for a kidney is horrible. But to an economist, at some level every interaction is a reciprocal altruistic act.

Don't live by the golden rule, it's just too hard. It's actually improbably difficult. Try instead to live by the silver rule: Do not do to others what you would consider unfair or unjust if they did it to you.

accumulated profits of exxon since 1980s?

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