The paradox of value - Akshita Agarwal
-
0:07 - 0:11Imagine you're on a game show,
and you can choose between two prizes: -
0:11 - 0:12a diamond
-
0:12 - 0:14or a bottle of water.
-
0:14 - 0:16It's an easy choice.
-
0:16 - 0:18The diamonds are clearly more valuable.
-
0:18 - 0:21Now imagine being given
the same choice again, -
0:21 - 0:23only this time, you're not on a game show,
-
0:23 - 0:27but dehydrated in the desert
after wandering for days. -
0:27 - 0:28Do you choose differently?
-
0:28 - 0:32Why? Aren't diamonds still more valuable?
-
0:32 - 0:34This is the paradox of value,
-
0:34 - 0:38famously described
by pioneering economist Adam Smith. -
0:38 - 0:43And what it tells us is that defining
value is not as simple as it seems. -
0:43 - 0:47On the game show, you were thinking about
each item's exchange value, -
0:47 - 0:50what you could obtain for them
at a later time, -
0:50 - 0:53but in an emergency,
like the desert scenario, -
0:53 - 0:56what matters far more is their use value,
-
0:56 - 0:59how helpful they are
in your current situation. -
0:59 - 1:02And because we only get to choose
one of the options, -
1:02 - 1:05we also have to consider
its opportunity cost, -
1:05 - 1:08or what we lose by giving up
the other choice. -
1:08 - 1:12After all, it doesn't matter how much
you could get from selling the diamond -
1:12 - 1:15if you never make it out of the desert.
-
1:15 - 1:18Most modern economists deal with
the paradox of value -
1:18 - 1:20by attempting
to unify these considerations -
1:20 - 1:22under the concept of utility,
-
1:22 - 1:26how well something satisfies
a person's wants or needs. -
1:26 - 1:29Utility can apply to anything
from the basic need for food -
1:29 - 1:31to the pleasure of hearing
a favorite song, -
1:31 - 1:35and will naturally vary
for different people and circumstances. -
1:35 - 1:39A market economy provides us
with an easy way to track utility. -
1:39 - 1:41Put simply, the utility
something has to you -
1:41 - 1:44is reflected by how much you'd be
willing to pay for it. -
1:44 - 1:46Now, imagine yourself back in the desert,
-
1:46 - 1:50only this time, you get offered
a new diamond or a fresh bottle of water -
1:50 - 1:52every five minutes.
-
1:52 - 1:56If you're like most people, you'll first
choose enough water to last the trip, -
1:56 - 1:59and then as many diamonds
as you can carry. -
1:59 - 2:01This is because of something called
marginal utility, -
2:01 - 2:04and it means that when you choose
between diamonds and water, -
2:04 - 2:07you compare utility obtained
from every additional bottle of water -
2:07 - 2:10to every additional diamond.
-
2:10 - 2:13And you do this each time
an offer is made. -
2:13 - 2:16The first bottle of water is worth more
to you than any amount of diamonds, -
2:16 - 2:19but eventually,
you have all the water you need. -
2:19 - 2:22After a while, every additional bottle
becomes a burden. -
2:22 - 2:25That's when you begin to choose
diamonds over water. -
2:25 - 2:27And it's not just necessities like water.
-
2:27 - 2:30When it comes to most things,
the more of it you acquire, -
2:30 - 2:34the less useful or enjoyable
every additional bit becomes. -
2:34 - 2:37This is the law of diminishing
marginal utility. -
2:37 - 2:41You might gladly buy two or three
helpings of your favorite food, -
2:41 - 2:43but the fourth would
make you nauseated, -
2:43 - 2:46and the hundredth would spoil
before you could even get to it. -
2:46 - 2:49Or you could pay to see the same movie
over and over until you got bored of it -
2:49 - 2:51or spent all of your money.
-
2:51 - 2:53Either way,
you'd eventually reach a point -
2:53 - 2:57where the marginal utility for buying
another movie ticket became zero. -
2:57 - 3:01Utility applies not just to buying things,
but to all our decisions. -
3:01 - 3:05And the intuitive way to maximize it
and avoid diminishing returns -
3:05 - 3:09is to vary the way we spend
our time and resources. -
3:09 - 3:11After our basic needs are met,
-
3:11 - 3:13we'd theoretically decide
to invest in choices -
3:13 - 3:16only to the point they're useful
or enjoyable. -
3:16 - 3:20Of course, how effectively any of us
manage to maximize utility in real life -
3:20 - 3:21is another matter.
-
3:21 - 3:25But it helps to remember that the
ultimate source of value comes from us, -
3:25 - 3:27the needs we share,
-
3:27 - 3:28the things we enjoy,
-
3:28 - 3:30and the choices we make.
- Title:
- The paradox of value - Akshita Agarwal
- Speaker:
- Akshita Agarwal
- Description:
-
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-paradox-of-value-akshita-agarwal
Imagine you’re on a game show and you can choose between two prizes: a diamond … or a bottle of water. It’s an easy choice – the diamonds are more valuable. But if given the same choice when you were dehydrated in the desert, after wandering for days, would you choose differently? Why? Aren’t diamonds still more valuable? Akshita Agarwal explains the paradox of value.
Lesson by Akshita Agarwal, animation by Qa'ed Mai.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 03:46
Jessica Ruby approved English subtitles for The paradox of value | ||
Jessica Ruby accepted English subtitles for The paradox of value | ||
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for The paradox of value | ||
Jennifer Cody edited English subtitles for The paradox of value |