Economist Robert Frank has an essay in Daedalus that asks: How not to buy happiness. As you might expect from an economist there is reference to that amoral being known as ‘the invisible hand.’
[A] troubling question is why we have not used our resources more wisely. If we could all live healthier, longer, and more satisfying lives by simply changing our spending patterns, why haven’t we done that? As even the most ardent free-market economists have long recognized, the invisible hand cannot be expected to deliver the greatest good for all in cases in which each individual’s well-being depends on the actions taken by others with whom he does not interact directly.
If anyone has any pull with this ‘invisible hand’ fellow please speak up.
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