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Gary Becker The Economic Way Of Looking At Life Analysis

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Gary Becker uses the economic approach to analyze social issues in his lecture “The Economic Way of Looking at Life”, which lies outside of the typical scope of economists. He claims that unlike Marxian analysis, the economic approach that he refers to does not assume that individuals are motivated solely by selfishness or gain. Becker says that he has attempted to pry economists away from the narrow assumptions of self interest claiming that behavior is driven by a much wider set of values then personal utility. “The analysis assumes that individuals maximize welfare as they conceive it, whether they be selfish, altruistic, loyal, spiteful, or masochistic.” This shows us that there is a far richer array of emotions that drive us rather than …show more content…

Constraints are important to for different situations, but the most fundamental constraint Becker claims is time. So while goods and services have grown in rich countries, the total allotted time available to consume them has not, therefore wants remain unsatisfied in both rich and poor countries. While the abundance of goods may reduce the value of additional goods, time becomes more valuable as goods become more abundant. Inorder to fully widen our grasp on certain economic presumptions we must incorporate certain factors. Becker shows his perception of the economic approach through four subjects. To understand discrimination against minorities, it is necessary to widen our perception, accommodating for the possibility of prejudice and hatred of specific groups of people. The economic analysis of crime incorporates into rational behavior illegal and other antisocial tendencies. The human capital approach considers how the productivity of people in market and non-market situations is changed by investments into education. The economic approach to the family interprets marriage, divorce and relations among family members through the lens of

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