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by lifekaizen 1680 days ago
The net value to society is likely negative since the impact on the target is large, and a society that allowed such things may see time horizons constrict.

You raise some good points, though. I personally am probably coming with an unspoken understanding that 'given that something fits into a legal and moral structure, and we accept a certain definition of using something by choice as value' then paying more for that thing implies more value. Facebook is probably a good example of something in the grey area, connecting people has value, but generating demand is questionable, spreading misinformation is likely a large net negative.

1 comments

Monetary value reflects demand, but demand does not always reflect utility or goodness. There is a demand for atrocity.

The construction “NFTs are highly priced, thus they are desired, thus they are good” is full of holes. If I have a phobia of spiders, and a corresponding desire to eradicate them, does it follow that eradicating spiders is good? If I got my wish, I and the rest of the world would be worse off for it, but my desire exists none the less.