Routledge Against Utility-Based Economics - Political Economy

Challenge traditional economic models with this profound work from the Routledge Frontiers of Political Economy series. Against Utility-Based Economics: On a Life-Based Approach offers a radical departure from standard utility-based theory and choice-theoretic frameworks, which the author argues are fundamentally flawed and misleading. This book proposes a new theory of value and consumer behavior rooted in existential interpretations of scarcity and self-interest. By shifting the focus to the reality of human existence, the text argues that for self-conscious mortals, time is the only true scarcity, while all other forms of scarcity are derivative. It examines how value resides in life itself, acting as a knowledge extract of time that flows into commodities through human labor and depreciated capital. Designed for scholars and readers interested in anthropology, sociology, and political economy, this text provides a fresh perspective on how consumers structure preferences and how value is truly constructed in a world driven by the finite nature of time. It is an essential read for those seeking to understand the deeper connections between human life and economic systems.