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A FREE LUNCH

There is no such thing as a "free lunch"
Milton Friedman famously said,
And it has now become economists' mantra.
But long before Friedman, Shakespeare said:
"There are more things on heaven and earth,
Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
I looked around and found
an abundance of evidence
of free lunches, free dinners and
much, much more.
A million things move people
to give things
with no thought of "quid pro quo"-
Love, pure friendship, compassion,
A generous impulse, empathy,
Sympathy, just plain concern.
Looks like Friedman's notion of
an economic man is a myth;
Perhaps he should listen to Tugwell,
who long ago said:
"An economist, who is simply
an economist, is a poor pretty fish!"

Chennat Gopalakrishnan (2007, spring)