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That is a simplistic view. People also pay for what society values, ie systemic pressures, which is why different cultures and in different epochs value things differently. Eg before people would give a monthly donation to church because they believed it would help getting into heaven.

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Fair point. And I'm responding to the simplistic idea that any one individual knows what is best for society. Those who "feel that I should only work on things that matter to society" are not immune to those systemic pressures either. I do think it's a good idea to not just chase money and to work for companies aligned with your own values. But that's about the best you can do. What's aligned with your own values might be someone else's idea of working on things that don't matter to society.

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