The law of supply and demand is based on the selfishness assumption. Yes there is an argument that even upward-sloping demand curves will eventually slope downwards, but I can always find some margin or theoretical example for which it’s not true over some interval.
Why would the law of supply and demand not rest on marginal utility, rather than selfishness? Just because I have a selfish desire doesn’t mean that I can satisfy the desire. Utility and means mix together with self interest to render choices regarding use of scarce resources.
The law of supply and demand is based on the selfishness assumption. Yes there is an argument that even upward-sloping demand curves will eventually slope downwards, but I can always find some margin or theoretical example for which it’s not true over some interval.
Why would the law of supply and demand not rest on marginal utility, rather than selfishness? Just because I have a selfish desire doesn’t mean that I can satisfy the desire. Utility and means mix together with self interest to render choices regarding use of scarce resources.