If I understand you correctly, "my kingdom for a horse" is actually a good economic decision.
Re:Why the Black MacBook Cost More
by revolvingocelot on Thursday March 31, 2022 @03:30PM
(#30871336)
The better aphoristic horse-kingdom-related summation is probably For Want Of A Nail:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
Re:Why the Black MacBook Cost More
by stingraycharles on Thursday March 31, 2022 @02:21PM
(#30870551)
Maybe not economical, but definitely rational.
Could also be economical depending on how much you value your life
If a horse is the sole means of surviving an attack, the horse is worth way more than 100 kingdoms because what use is a kingdom to a dead man?
It's an effective business model if you can pull it off. For example a variation thereof made Marcus Licinius Crassus the richest man in Rome[1].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_firefighting#Rome
I think it would be irrational to value things based on how much they cost to make. The rational thing would be to value something based on utility to you. Why should you care how much it cost to make, unless you have as an alternative the ability to make it yourself?