No Free Lunch: Economics for a Fallen World: Third Edition, Revised

Chapter Three: Demand 63 DEMAND IN PROVERBS Proverbs 16:26 A worker’s appetite works for him, For his hunger urges him on. Proverbs 25:16 Have you found honey? Eat only what you need, That you not have it in excess and vomit it. Proverbs 27:7 A sated man loathes honey, But to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet. We all have needs, and basic among them is the requirement for food for sustenance. We see in Proverbs that hunger is a driving force; it causes us to act and to overcome our fleshly sloth. Hunger can move us in a powerful way, but once we get our fill, it no longer urges us on. As economics teaches us, there is diminishing marginal utility as we consume more and more of a given good. Solomon highlighted the upper limit: ultimately, if you eat to excess, you may vomit what is not needed. Even if your mind says I want it , your body knows additional honey offers negative marginal utility!