Economists use the concept of utility to explain why people make the choices they do – what to buy, where to invest, how hard to work: everyone is trying to maximize utility in accordance with one’s preferences and beliefs about the world, and within the limits posed by scarce income or resources.
Il est à l'économie ce que la théorie du phlogiston était à la chimie. Il y a fort longtemps, les chimistes croyaient que la matière combustible contenait un élément caché, le phlogiston [inflammable en grec], qui expliquerait le changement de forme d'une substance lors de sa combustion.