Z:gnu-www-ja-self-interest--695316-There are, of course, nonecono/en

There are, of course, noneconomic values. Indeed, there are only noneconomic values. Economics is not a value itself but merely a method of trading off one value against another. If statements about &lsquo;noneconomic values&rsquo; (or, more specifically, &lsquo;social values&rsquo; or &lsquo;human values&rsquo;) are meant to deny the inherent reality of trade-offs, or to exempt some particular value from the trade-off process, then such selfless ideals can be no more effectively demonstrated than by trading off financial gains in the interest of such ideals. This is an economic trade-off. [from page 79 of &ldquo;Knowledge &amp; Decisions&rdquo;, Thomas Sowell, New York: Basic Books, 1980.]