I want to help listeners who might be a little bit lost with a practical example before we do that which will be the wallet. It's kind of a classic example but I'm slightly embarrassment. Where I published it was extremely obscure in terms of academic publications and I got the example from Doug Norton. But anyway, yeah. The hospital story you referred to I think was from the McCulloch X episode that was released this morning. And for listeners who's that was also maybe your longest or second longest or racial. I mean you're on such a roll today I'm leaving you alone."
Economist and author Michael Munger of Duke University talks about human wants and desires with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Human beings have desires about our desires. Can we change what we want? And how should economists and normal human beings think about doing the right thing, what we often call morality? Is acting morally self-interested behavior or is it possible to act selflessly?