Hi Jason,

I guess we agree to disagree. I think your main point is sufficiently addressed by Adam Smith's most important work, The Theory of Moral Sentiment, which in the words of scholar Vernon Smith present "one behavioral axiom, 'the propensity to truck, barter, and exchange one thing for another,' where the objects of trade I will interpret to include not only goods, but also gifts, assistance, and favors out of sympathy ... whether it is goods or favors that are exchanged, they bestow gains from trade that humans seek relentlessly in all social transactions. Thus, Adam Smith's single axiom, broadly interpreted ... is sufficient to characterize a major portion of the human social and cultural enterprise. It explains why human nature appears to be simultaneously self-regarding and other-regarding."

It's a big topic you present, and an important one in the field of economic theory. I don't think we could possibly debate it completely. But, it's been thought provoking.

Cheers!

Skot