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Suppose I am an oil engineer, and I develop some highly technical breakthrough in oil extraction. Is this good, because I am an artisan, and am deeply invested

Suppose I am an oil engineer, and I develop some highly technical breakthrough in oil extraction. Is this good, because I am an artisan, and am deeply invested in a very challenging problem? Or is it bad because this invention essentially earns me an infinitesimal fraction on each gallon of gas sold, e.g. "siphoning a little amount of money from a lot of people"? I am not really sure I understand the distinction that the author is trying to draw.

mohene1 15y ago
Siphoning is to extract something with out giving back. An ideal economy is exchanging wealth for wealth. Selling oil/gas to someone is not siphoning, because they receive value (the ability to transport themselves, make goods) in exchange for their money. My earlier post explains some of these concepts