The Origin of Utility

Gianni De Fraja

No 5859, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: This paper proposes an explanation for the universal human desire for increasing consumption. It holds that it was moulded in evolutionary times by a mechanism known to biologists as sexual selection, whereby a certain trait - observable consumption - is used by members of one sex to signal their unobservable characteristics valuable to members of the opposite sex. It then goes on to show that the standard economics problem of utility maximisation is formally equivalent to the standard biology problem of the maximisation of individual fitness, the ability to pass genes to future generations.

Keywords: Natural selection; Utility; Darwin; Sexual selection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D63 I28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo, nep-hpe and nep-upt
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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