wedrifid comments on Let's make a deal - Less Wrong

-18 Post author: Mitchell_Porter 23 September 2010 12:59AM

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Comment author: wedrifid 23 September 2010 05:17:51AM 2 points [-]

As a side note, it is an economic fallacy to suppose that salaries should directly reflect the value created by the worker. The price of labour, like any other price, is determined by supply and demand.

The word 'should' would need to be replaced (or added to) for the supposition to be fallacious. The (rejection of) 'should' does not follow from the 'is' in the next sentence without including an additional normative premise.

Comment author: mattnewport 23 September 2010 05:28:05AM *  0 points [-]

True, perhaps I should have said 'it is an economic fallacy to suppose that salaries will directly reflect the value created by the worker.'

Assuming our extrapolated volitions understood economics however they would have no reason to care about the relative salaries of FAI researchers and store clerks. Their only concern would be whether FAI researchers were undersupplied at the market price.