Abstract
Pleasure and pain are undoubtedly the ultimate objects of the Calculus of Economics. To satisfy our wants to the utmost with the least effort—to procure the greatest amount of what is desirable at the expense of the least that is undesirable—in other words, to maximise pleasure, is the problem of Economics. But it is convenient to transfer our attention as soon as possible to the physical objects or actions which are the source to us of pleasures and pains. A very large part of the labour of any community is spent upon the production of the ordinary necessaries and conveniences of life, such as food, clothing, buildings, utensils, furniture, ornaments, etc.; and the aggregate of these things, therefore, is the immediate object of our attention.
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© 2013 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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Jevons, W.S. (2013). Theory of Utility. In: The Theory of Political Economy. Palgrave Classics in Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137374158_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137374158_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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Online ISBN: 978-1-137-37415-8
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