I might be accused of excessive free-market cheerleading (I don't deny it), but I think that even non-reciprocal transactions can be understood in the framework of utility exchange.
The classic Adam Smith-style exchange is this: I have an apple to sell, you have a dollar. I value your dollar more than the apple, and you value the apple more than the dollar. Exchange ensues. Utility is increased on both sides, and (significantly) by our own personal measurements of utility.
But we can take one party out of the picture and apply the same reasoning. I meet a homeless man on the street. I have a five dollar bill. I feel sorry for the homeless man, so I give him the five dollars. I obtain the peace of mind that comes from being a good guy. In effect, I purchased that peace of mind for $5. The utility has still increased on both sides of the transaction. Even though the homeless guy did not explicitly give me anything, his existence was required for me to obtain my sense of well being for helping a homeless man.
Similarly, the consumers of OSS projects are parties to an "exchange" in which the software author obtains his non-monetary rewards.
Yes, I am arguing that altruism is economic and that it may be understood in the context of utility. Clearly, if I get no peace of mind from giving money to the homeless man, the transfer of $5 will not happen. Just as in a two-party transaction, I am implicitly (probably unconsciously) comparing expected utilities.
To push it to an extreme, even the decision about whether to go to the movies or take a nap on a Saturday afternoon is an economic decision. Or the decision to commit or not to commit a crime.
The truly free market respects the right of every individual to make these personal utility judgements without interference, no matter how many parties are involved in a transaction. Many people think that it is somehow "dehumanizing" to reduce all decisions to economics, but this is what normal human beings do -- we all try to make our lives better by our own definition of "better", i.e. we all try to increase our net utility.
At any rate, Eric, thanks for responding. Keep up the good work!
-knox
