If learning is not for its own sake, it isn’t liberal learning. It’s a utilitarian calculus for material self-advancement. The important things are not worth knowing because they are useful. They are worth knowing because they are true. [my italics]
–Andrew Sullivan (2011): Education For Its Own Sake
This quote, feeds off a plea by Freddie DeBoer against our constantly putting things in terms of dollars, cents and economic value. It argues against much of the premise of behavioral economics (and much of environmental economics too), which tries to better understand human nature by translating everything into money.
The economists themselves will tell you that this remains just one part of the story, and the work brings us to a better understanding of how humans behave and what they really value, but, living in a very capitalist society, it’s easy to lose track.