But then you get into the facts that there are some things people wouldn’t spend any money on even though it makes them happy and vice versa. I see three different possibilities:
This theoretical willingness to spend money on something that you’re describing is what makes it count as wealth.
The theoretical willingness to spend money is just a proxy for wanting, and it’s the wanting of a thing that makes it wealth.
Wanting isn’t actually wealth. Think: doomscrolling on Facebook. Liking is what matters.
I think humans are complex, and don’t have coherent desires. At the same time, most things people want they enjoy. More enjoyment and liking things is from more wealth.
The fact that we’ve invented weird corner cases by optimizing too hard on engagement (facebook), or on taste (empty calories), doesn’t change the fact that there are lots of things we like and benefit from.
Ok yeah, I get that sense as well.
But then you get into the facts that there are some things people wouldn’t spend any money on even though it makes them happy and vice versa. I see three different possibilities:
This theoretical willingness to spend money on something that you’re describing is what makes it count as wealth.
The theoretical willingness to spend money is just a proxy for wanting, and it’s the wanting of a thing that makes it wealth.
Wanting isn’t actually wealth. Think: doomscrolling on Facebook. Liking is what matters.
I think humans are complex, and don’t have coherent desires. At the same time, most things people want they enjoy. More enjoyment and liking things is from more wealth.
The fact that we’ve invented weird corner cases by optimizing too hard on engagement (facebook), or on taste (empty calories), doesn’t change the fact that there are lots of things we like and benefit from.