Do People Wish They Had More Stuff?

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In many ways, i would argue, the utility maximsation framework produces almost nothing of scientific or predictive value. But what aquinas helps you to see is that there's another way of thinking about human happiness that is ultimately more fulfilling and more sustainable. And ifo do that, you're going to see that the amount of material goods, the amount of stuff you need, is actually a finite. So for me, there really isn't scarcity. Im, i don't need any more stuff.

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.