EPTSo, I guess we can agree that the following assumptions are true:
1. There are certain activities that make us happy. (=some neurotransmitters are released in our brain, the result being that we experience something we call "happiness") Cooking, spending time with the kids, watching a movie, w/e
2. Owning/possessing stuff makes us happy. Owning/Possessing stuff is therefore one of the aforementioned activities. We realize that we own something and the experience of happiness is the result (probably most intense at the moment of the purchase).
3. Stockpiling makes us happy. We want to possess more stuff than we can actually use. We want to own a car even if we dont want to drive it at that particular moment, we want to have money in the bank even if we dont need it right now, food in the fridge we dont want to eat right now etc.
4. Most ressources are limited, especially what we call time.
So I have some questions.
Q1: Why does stockpiling makes us happy? I assume that in the process we call evolution at some point it was benficial for a species to develop this kind of thinking, or feeling. Which makes a lot of sense, because if you own more than you need, especially food, water etc, you can survive times of scarceness. Is that correct? Is stockpiling something that can be seen in other species as well? (I think squirrels do it?)
Q2: Assumption: a resonable approach to "life itself" is to maximize the utility that the limited ressources like time provide us. If we had to chosse between doing something boring work on one hand or doing some fun stuff on the other, we would always choose the latter.
So, given 2, 3, 4: how do we solve the tragedy of the commons? Should each and everyone of us have the same rights? Everyone gets the same amount of land, of food, toys, cars, yachts etc that the planet can provide? What, if the populations is growing?
Q3: Should people that own a lot (like billionaires) have to share their wealth with the poor? That would of course mean that a lot of us in the "first world" would experience a decrese in wealth.
Q4: So, if we assume that a "system" is fair if it is pareto optimal, then how can we determine if the distribution of goods and services in the world is fair? How can we "solve" the economic question (acquisition and distribution of goods&services)?
Thanks yo.
