Monthly Archives: September 2022

Profit and other motives

Posted on September 30, 2022 by koenfucius

(featured image: Province of British Columbia/Flickr CC BY NC ND 2.0) Is the care sector incompatible with profit motives? Some people take a dim view of profit. It evokes images of fat, top-hatted men raking it in. In the UK, … Continue reading →

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No such thing as a free bank holiday

Posted on September 23, 2022 by koenfucius

(featured image: Judy Dean/Flickr CC BY SA 2.0) UK employers face a dilemma when the government decrees an extra bank holiday. Granting it costs money, but not granting it may have consequences too. In Britain, public holidays are ‘bank holidays’, … Continue reading →

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About a death

Posted on September 16, 2022 by koenfucius

(featured image: The Commonwealth/Flickr (CC BY NC ND 2.0) Last week, an old lady died. Her passing has been dominating the headlines for days, and tens of millions of people around the world took notice and were moved to respond. … Continue reading →

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Apples and oranges – part III: Bookkeepers and enforcers

Posted on September 8, 2022 by koenfucius

Despite the criticism it attracts (which is mostly aimed at a caricature or at inappropriate application), utilitarian thinking is a valid guide to decision making. But while it can certainly handle pleasure and pain, it does have its limits and, … Continue reading →

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Apples and oranges – Part II: Is Utilitarianism unfit for purpose?

Posted on September 2, 2022 by koenfucius

(featured image via DALL·E) Utilitarianism receives a great deal of criticism. Is it a useless tool for making decisions, or are the detractors overstating their case? (Part I is here.) Imagine a business – say, a bakery – that has … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavioural economics, Cognitive biases and fallacies, Economics, Emotions, Morality, Philosophy, Psychology | Tagged | 1 Comment