Interests are only a proxy for well-being, not the whole story

Evidence

Sometimes interests are the whole story of a person’s motivations in a particular context. Typically, however, I have an interest in having more resources, such as money, only because they enable me to consume or experience various things. These consumptions constitute my welfare. The whole story is one of well-being through the use of resources. Interests are merely a proxy for this whole story. It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that interests translate smoothly into well-being or even consumptions. Consumptions generally trade off against one another (and against interests), because if I use my resources for one consumption I may have none for other consumptions. — Russell Hardin, Trust and Trustworthiness, 146

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains why ‘encapsulated interest’ means the trusted’s interests are proxies for the truster’s welfare, not crude selfishness.
• XREF: connects to: Well-being is better measured by achieved functionings than by happiness or wealth. — David Schlosberg, Defining Environmental Justice:…, 127