Chapter 3
Producing Stuff to Maximize Happiness
IN THIS CHAPTER
Determining your production possibilities
Allocating resources in the face of diminishing returns
Choosing outputs to maximize happiness
Understanding the roles of government and markets in production and distribution
Although it’s true that human beings face scarcity and can’t have everything they want (as I discuss in Chapter 2), it’s also true that they have a lot of options. Productive technology is now so advanced that people can convert the planet’s limited supply of resources into a fantastic variety of goods and services, including delivery drones, AI chatbots, genetically engineered cancer treatments, fully immersive 3D video games — and totally awesome For Dummies books like this one.
Thanks to advanced technologies, people are spoiled for choices. The enormous variety of goods and services currently available means that people must choose wisely if they want to convert the planet’s limited resources into the goods and services that will provide the greatest possible happiness when consumed.
This chapter explains ...
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