What is Consumption and Production?

1. What is Consumption and Production?

2. How are we to understand Consumption? • Are we to understand consumption on the basis of production, as its by-product, its derivative outcome? • Or are we to understand consumption as a sphere of life which is entirely distinct and separate from production.

3. Was Robinsons Crusoe’s Relationship between Production and Consumption Inconsistent?

4. Robinson’s Relationship with Consumption and Production Off the Island.

5. Robinson’s Relationship with Consumption and Production On the Island.

6. Robinson’s Relationship with Consumption and Production On the Island.

7. Robinson’s Relationship with Consumption and Production On the Island.

8. Arguments on observed relationship between Consumption and Production Robinson’s actions had a tendency towards production. But the question is, what was the driving force behind it? Was it consumption driving production or another factor(need)? Perhaps this could be understood if we looked through the eyes of two arguments. • Consumption as a sphere of life entirely distinct from production. • Consumption on the basis of production, as its by product?

9. Arguments on observed relationship between Consumption and Production Analysing Robinson Crusoe’s behaviour on the island seems to indicate that needwas the driving force behind production, but with time, consumption became the driving force behind production, thereby showing inconsistencies.

10. Analysing Robinson’s Actions This can be seen from the following actions, 1) Basic things like raisins, fruits, nuts, bread and flesh, which initially was enough to keep him alive, was no longer adequate with time. He stopped being thrift. 2) He reared goats to get milk and cheese. The more he produced the more he wanted. 3) He kept getting more and more wood for not just his hut but also for comforts such as shelves and two canoes that where not necessities. 4) He made two homes for himself. One by the seaside and one in a cave.

11. Conclusions • On one hand Robinson’s actions on the island was driven towards production by necessity, thereby supporting the argument that production is distinct from consumption, on the other hand, with time, necessity gave way to a desire to acquire more and more, thereby confirming consumption as the basis for production . • We thus conclude that based on these facts Robinson’s relationship with consumption and production reveal inconsistencies.