Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Free LunchThere Is None Such Free Essays
There ainââ¬â¢t no such thing as a free lunchâ⬠(alternatively, ââ¬Å"Thereââ¬â¢s no such thing as a free lunchâ⬠or other variants) is a popular adage communicating the idea that it is impossible to get something for nothing. The phrase is central to Robert Heinleinââ¬â¢s 1966 libertarian science fiction novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,[1] which popularized it. [2] The free-market economist Milton Friedman also popularized the phrase[3] by using it as the title of a 1975 book, and it often appears in economics textbooks;[4] Campbell McConnell writes that the idea is ââ¬Å"at the core of economicsâ⬠. We will write a custom essay sample on Free Lunch?There Is None Such or any similar topic only for you Order Now 5] The acronyms TANSTAAFL (which appears in Heinleinââ¬â¢s novel) and TINSTAAFL are also used. Uses of the phrase and the acronym dating back to the 1930s and 1940s have been found, but the phraseââ¬â¢s first appearance is unknown. [3] The ââ¬Å"free lunchâ⬠in the saying refers to the nineteenth century practice in American bars of offering a ââ¬Å"free lunchâ⬠with drinksThe ââ¬Å"free lunchâ⬠referred to in the acronym relates back to the once-common tradition of saloons in the United States providing a ââ¬Å"freeâ⬠lunch to patrons who had purchased at least one drink. Rudyard Kipling, writing in 1891, noted how he came upon a barroom full of bad Salon pictures, in which men with hats on the backs of their heads were wolfing food from a counter. ââ¬Å"It was the institution of the ââ¬Å"free lunchâ⬠I had struck. You paid for a drink and got as much as you wanted to eat. For something less than a rupee a day a man can feed himself sumptuously in San Francisco, even though he be a bankrupt. Remember this if ever you are stranded in these parts.? [6] TANSTAAFL, on the other hand, indicates an acknowledgment that in reality a person or a society cannot get ââ¬Å"something for nothingâ⬠. Even if something appears to be free, there is always a cost to the person or to society as a whole even though that cost may be hidden or distributed. For example, as Heinlein has one of his characters point out, a bar offering a free lunch will likely charge more for its drinks How to cite Free Lunch?There Is None Such, Papers
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