Commenters here seem to be missing his real thesis: we buy these objects because humans believe there are "deeper" properties than just its sensory or signaling

Commenters here seem to be missing his real thesis: we buy these objects because humans believe there are "deeper" properties than just its sensory or signaling value. One study Bloom performed: people were asked to value a dress shirt in a plastic wrapping that had merely been owned -- never touched -- by a celebrity. The self-assessed value on the mint condition shirt was higher than a regular mint condition shirt -- merely being owned on paper by a celebrity gave it more value. I think about this experiment probably once a month. If you enjoyed Professor Bloom's writing, check out his research on babies' sense of morality: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/magazine/09babies-t.html https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/magazine/09babies-t.html