4 ms·

I find utility in staying out of jail, so I pay my mandatory taxes.

• Chris2048 10y ago
  Exactly :-) If the government can "manufacture" utility like this, it isn't utility.
  • simonh 10y ago
    Therefore government services have no value? Driven or been driven on any roads lately? Bought any goods transported on public infrastructure? Etc. I'm lost. I've no idea what you're really arguing at this point.
    • Chris2048 10y ago
      I don't think I argued that. Perhaps that's why you're confused.
  • bdhess 10y ago
    That's not at all true. In a democracy, "the government" is a reflection of the will of society, however imperfectly expressed. Paying taxes is as social obligation with known consequences for failure to comply (in this case, the threat of confinement). As a parallel example, perhaps I have a housemate who gets upset when he finds dirty dishes in the sink. So I take care to clean dishes when I use them-- perhaps not because I particularly care if there are dirty dishes in the sink, but because it upsets my housemate. Again, to prevent myself from accruing the negative utility that comes from failing to meet a social obligation.