I Like Tipping, but It's Not Why People Tip

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Tipping is a way of saying thank you, and thank you as not just to try to get you to be nice to me later on. It's like to express actual gratitude. Although it begs the question why that service seems to call forth a desire to express gratitude. I do think it's an interesting question whether norms and propriety have become less important in american society. And i would hope people would start thinking about that more thoroughly.

Author, economist, and theologian Mary Hirschfeld of Villanova University talks about her book, Aquinas and the Market, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Hirschfeld looks at the nature of our economic activity as buyers and sellers and whether our pursuit of economic growth and material well-being comes at a cost. She encourages a skeptical stance about the ability of more stuff to produce true happiness and/or satisfaction. The conversation includes a critique of economic theory and the aspect of human satisfaction outside the domain of economists.