[BurningFrog]

This is the typical model economists use to reason about utility. It has a good track record for explaining real world phenomenons.

Your model of "things are very complicated and you can never really know" is very common, but note that it doesn't even attempt to explain anything. This leaves adherents free to assume their gut feel as fact.

[bumby]

I’m saying you need a more nuanced model of the world. I only agree in the premise that "you can never really know" in that every model will have some uncertainty, but some models reflect reality better than others. People like simple mental models because people don't like uncertainty. It makes us feel good because everything makes sense in a simple model. But I would not agree that rational utility models work well in practice. Behavioral economics and psychology are rife with evidence that shows that rational “Homo Economicus” is a fiction used to make economists lives easier, not to make the models better reflect reality.