Nietzsche and the Economics of Becoming

Richard Robb, Columbia University

Abstract

Freud supposedly said that Nietzsche knew himself better than anyone who ever lived or is likely to live in the future. If the story is true, it's one of the best compliments of all time. Yet Nietzsche's psychological theories remain largely unknown to psychologists, philosophers and certainly to economists. These theories, taken together, constitute a profound attack on the foundations of neoclassical models in which individuals maximize the discounted flow of gratification they expect to receive. Scattered through Nietzsche's writings, we can find an alternative description of intertemporal choice motivated by overcoming obstacles. A principal objective of this paper is to show how Nietzsche's theory of overcoming can explain a great deal of observable behavior and solve important problems in economics.

Recommended Citation

Robb, Richard (2009) "Nietzsche and the Economics of Becoming," Capitalism and Society: Vol. 4 : Iss. 1, Article 3.
DOI: 10.2202/1932-0213.1051
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/cas/vol4/iss1/art3

Discussion and Commentary

James J. Heckman, American Bar Foundation, University of Chicago, and University College Dublin, Comment on "Nietzsche and the Economics of Becoming" (by Richard Robb) (June 2009)