Mainstream economists have addressed the creation of "preferences". Robin Marris, more or less mainstream, wrote a chapter on "demand" in The Economics of Managerial Economics which addressed this.
Gintis wrote quite a bit about it, original stuff, but perhaps he is regarded as on the left. It seems obvious, to me at least, that neo-classical economics can't go on if tastes are endogenous. Duesenberry, on page 1 of his classic, says: "This book began as a critique of the Keynesian consumption function. This critique is based on a demonstration that two fundamental assumptions of aggregate demand theory are invalid. These assumptions are (1) That every individual's consumption behavior is independent of that of every other individual, and (2) that consumption relations are reversible in time. It is apparent that these two assumptions are just as essential to the general theory of demand as to the consumption function. Indeed, this must be so since the Keynesian consumption function as a special case of general demand theory." So there it is, in mainstream economics. But Duesenberry didn't go on to overthrow the profession. All the textbooks should long ago have been pulped. Gene Coyle On Aug 12, 2010, at 10:16 AM, Jim Devine wrote: >>>> Does anyone study how "his preference" is created? > > c b: >>> Cultural anthropology does some. > > Jay: >> Why no economics? > > Economists are so imbued with the individualistic ethos (and a feeling > of superiority over the other social sciences) that even the most > sophisticated economists (outside of the left, I presume) don't look > into the origins of tastes at all. This is part of the long > (broadly-defined) liberal political tradition starting with Thomas > Hobbes. > > Herb Gintis, I've been told, wrote a dissertation arguing that if > tastes are endogenous (determined within the system) then all of > welfare economics (the closest that economists get to ethics) falls > apart. > > George Akerlof crossed the line a little: he has a paper in which > cognitive dissonance plays a role. > -- > Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own > way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
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