Can self-interest lead to participation in a communal organization?
The answer has to be no if by self-interest we mean material self-interest.
But in economic analysis, maximization of self-interest means maximization
of utility. The issue here is the nature of individuals' utility functions.
If those functions are such that an improvement of one's material wealth accompanied
by an equal reduction of the wealth of others yields a decrease in utility,
the resulting choice would be communal participation rather than
free-enterprise. Indeed, most modern individuals get disutility from the
existence of poverty and from major random losses to others in their midst,
and will therefore give some of their own income or agree with government
inome-redistribution policies to help deal with these problems. Most
people in today's world would get disutility from embedding themselves
totally in a commune, but obtain positive utility from partial
participation in a Church or other religious organization that promotes
giving to others. Indeed, some individuals are willing to become priests
or nuns or to join a monastry. Our analysis will depend fundamentally on
what we assume about the utility functions of individuals in a society.
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