Quote From MES

I love this Rothbard quote, yet i’m not sure if i agree with it. Even if an recipie for production becomes a general condition, it doesn’t mean that the condition is optimal. It could actually be backwards in production, but i can think of no other general condition that could be backwards. I suppose, it depends on the perspective yes?

The distinguishing feature of a recipe is that, once learned, it

generally does not have to be learned again. It can be noted and

remembered. Remembered, it no longer has to be produced; it

remains with the actor as an unlimited factor of production that

never wears out or needs to be economized by human action. It

becomes a general condition of human welfare in the same way

as air

From http://mises.org/Books/mespm.PDF

Nobody said its optimal. It’s just better than what you had before [or else you would not bother with it anymore].