this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2025
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[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Being useful is overrated.

[–] Semjaza 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

What is utility?

Must it be measurable and quantifiable?

And even if it needn't, can it exist otherwise in an economic system that requires quantified value in all things?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

What a thought provoking question.

I'd argue utility can exist outside of measurable systems but is defined by the measurements made within a system.

The measurements then determine with arbitrary values the utility of an object.

For instance, take two early human weapons: A wooden spear, and a club.

How would you rate the utility of each? By a varying degrees of ways, but they have different uses; a spear can hunt animals and has good penetrating power through flesh, a hammer can stun or knock out an animal, or drive a nail or stake.

But which of the two is the better use of the wood? That I believe, is at the core of your question.

The answer is both. A non-zero-sum system where both are valued for different purposes and no-one is the greater, or lesser thereof.

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