The way I was taught economics did NOT require that the variables in the "to maximize" box or the "subject to" box be material goods or material income. Material goods might be one vector INSIDE the maximize box, and income might be one constraint in the subject to box -- but the constraint of time, mores about behavior, or skill can be considered, just like the goals of a healthy family, status in the community, or religious expression. Thus there is room to discuss how increased costs of something or other might impact on the behavior of someone who is maximizing time for religious expression. That's economics. Or how shifts in legal constraints or institutional arrangements impact on perceived and achievable goals. This is honestly the way I was taught economics! Material goods are just PART of the stew. That's a very different kind of economics than one confined to material goods or to only those actions taking place through a market, isn't it? So what do I call the ONE, and what do I call the OTHER? -- Mary Schweitzer