Comments on: Arms Races, Happiness, and other Goods http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/ The Sweet Release of Reason Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:11:50 +0000 hourly 1 By: Gareth http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/#comment-4377 Gareth Fri, 18 Feb 2005 14:56:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=646#comment-4377 But Will, what if we don't meta-want to have what we want as much as we meta-want to be happy? Or, maybe we meta-prefer to pay some price in happiness to get what we want, but not any price? How neutral is revealed preference then? But Will, what if we don’t meta-want to have what we want as much as we meta-want to be happy? Or, maybe we meta-prefer to pay some price in happiness to get what we want, but not any price? How neutral is revealed preference then?

]]> By: Will Wilkinson http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/#comment-4376 Will Wilkinson Fri, 18 Feb 2005 11:25:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=646#comment-4376 Kevin, If we don't go the objective route, then the question is whose subjectivism? My argument about revealed preference theory is in effect that revealed preference is a more neutral form of subjectivism. Kevin, If we don’t go the objective route, then the question is whose subjectivism? My argument about revealed preference theory is in effect that revealed preference is a more neutral form of subjectivism.

]]> By: kevin quinn http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/#comment-4375 kevin quinn Fri, 18 Feb 2005 11:15:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=646#comment-4375 Layard is a little late coming to this: Robert Frank has a huge body of work on this, starting with the brilliant *Choosing The Right Pond.* back in the eighties. In The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Smith also analyzed the frustrations of the attempt to "better one's condition" where that is interpreted as a desire for relative success. He goes on to comment, Will-like, that this competition for status revolutionizes the material world, allows for the creation of Culture, and improves the (material) lot of the ordinary workman. I think that to make this postion tenable, one needs to reject a subjective theory of well-being in favor of an objective one. (I am not averse to doing so, but it seems to me libertarians would hesitate to pay such a price.) Otherwise, as Blair rightly emphasizes, the Prisoner's Dilemma here is devastating. Neither Layard is saying the desire for status is a bad thing; the problem is that we cancel ourselves out in pursuing it. We value both income and status, but reforms such as Layard suggests could give us more income with no reduction in status. For a subjectivist, how can that be a bad thing? Layard is a little late coming to this: Robert Frank has a huge body of work on this, starting with the brilliant *Choosing The Right Pond.* back in the eighties. In The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Smith also analyzed the frustrations of the attempt to “better one’s condition” where that is interpreted as a desire for relative success. He goes on to comment, Will-like, that this competition for status revolutionizes the material world, allows for the creation of Culture, and improves the (material) lot of the ordinary workman. I think that to make this postion tenable, one needs to reject a subjective theory of well-being in favor of an objective one. (I am not averse to doing so, but it seems to me libertarians would hesitate to pay such a price.) Otherwise, as Blair rightly emphasizes, the Prisoner’s Dilemma here is devastating. Neither Layard is saying the desire for status is a bad thing; the problem is that we cancel ourselves out in pursuing it. We value both income and status, but reforms such as Layard suggests could give us more income with no reduction in status. For a subjectivist, how can that be a bad thing?

]]> By: McClain http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/#comment-4374 McClain Mon, 14 Feb 2005 23:58:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=646#comment-4374 Fear of hair plugs is funnier than fear of nuclear annihilation. Also, you can get all the hair plugs you'll ever need with a single nuke. But one hair plug won't even get you on the subway. Fear of hair plugs is funnier than fear of nuclear annihilation.
Also, you can get all the hair plugs you’ll ever need with a single nuke.
But one hair plug won’t even get you on the subway.

]]> By: monkyboy http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/#comment-4373 monkyboy Mon, 14 Feb 2005 19:30:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=646#comment-4373 McClain, the word 'warhead' springs to mind. Both nukes and hair plugs are painful and expensive to aquire. If you got 'em, interested parties are more like to agree to a treaty with you... I give up, what is the difference between hair plugs and nukes??? McClain, the word ‘warhead’ springs to mind.

Both nukes and hair plugs are painful and expensive to aquire. If you got ‘em, interested parties are more like to agree to a treaty with you…

I give up, what is the difference between hair plugs and nukes???

]]> By: McClain http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/#comment-4372 McClain Mon, 14 Feb 2005 09:29:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=646#comment-4372 Oh, and 'monkyboy:' in your eagerness to play the troll, you've tripped over your own metaphor. What's the difference between a hair plug and a nuke? I'm sure you'll be able to puzzle out that riddle if you sit still and think about it a little bit.... Oh, and ‘monkyboy:’ in your eagerness to play the troll, you’ve tripped over your own metaphor.
What’s the difference between a hair plug and a nuke?
I’m sure you’ll be able to puzzle out that riddle if you sit still and think about it a little bit….

]]> By: McClain http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/#comment-4371 McClain Mon, 14 Feb 2005 09:24:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=646#comment-4371 Okay, doom'n'gloom boyz! America's going to hell in a handbasket, boo hoo. Read a little history, do a little traveling, and get back to me on that, OK? Wish I could bet money against that sort of wishful pessimism. Oh wait: I do! Stock market's lookin' pretty good this year.... ;-) Okay, doom’n'gloom boyz!
America’s going to hell in a handbasket, boo hoo.
Read a little history, do a little traveling, and get back to me on that, OK?
Wish I could bet money against that sort of wishful pessimism. Oh wait: I do! Stock market’s lookin’ pretty good this year…. ;-)

]]> By: Marcus Stanley http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/#comment-4370 Marcus Stanley Sun, 13 Feb 2005 14:22:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=646#comment-4370 Well, McClain, the rest of the world is mercantilists, actually, which you can argue about but has historically been a pretty effective path to economic development. But what definitely will suck for *us* is when we have to start living within our means again. Well, McClain, the rest of the world is mercantilists, actually, which you can argue about but has historically been a pretty effective path to economic development. But what definitely will suck for *us* is when we have to start living within our means again.

]]> By: monkyboy http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/#comment-4369 monkyboy Sat, 12 Feb 2005 18:11:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=646#comment-4369 Hehe, McClain. Do we really care if some guy buys a hairpiece or leases a car they can't afford to try and get laid? Not really. The more interesting point is how countries compete for status. North Korea and Iran seem to think that nuclear weapons, the country equivalent of hair plugs, is the way to go. And the rest of the world is trying to stop them. Should make for an interesting decade... Hehe, McClain. Do we really care if some guy buys a hairpiece or leases a car they can’t afford to try and get laid? Not really.

The more interesting point is how countries compete for status. North Korea and Iran seem to think that nuclear weapons, the country equivalent of hair plugs, is the way to go. And the rest of the world is trying to stop them. Should make for an interesting decade…

]]> By: McClain http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2005/02/09/arms-races-happiness-and-other-goods/#comment-4368 McClain Sat, 12 Feb 2005 13:06:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=646#comment-4368 "The United States will be spending more on its military than the rest of the world combined. And its doing it on money borrowed from foreigners." That's hilarious! The rest of the world are massive chump suckers to let us screw them over that badly. Sucks to be them.... :-) “The United States will be spending more on its military than the rest of the world combined.

And its doing it on money borrowed from foreigners.”

That’s hilarious! The rest of the world are massive chump suckers to let us screw them over that badly.
Sucks to be them…. :-)

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