Final answer:
The principle that dominated acts should never be chosen originates from decision and game theory within Economics. It states that a rational individual should not select dominated acts as better alternatives exist which offer more favorable outcomes in every scenario.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement “dominated acts should never be chosen” is a principle found in decision theory and game theory, which are parts of Economics. In these contexts, an act is said to be dominated if there is another act that leads to a better outcome in every possible scenario. Rational decision-making prescribes that one should not select dominated acts because there's always a better alternative available. This is because choosing a dominated act means that one could have chosen a different act that would have provided a better payoff, regardless of the state of the world.
For example, in the case of investment choices, if investment A always yields less return than investment B, regardless of market conditions, investment A is considered to be dominated by investment B. A rational investor would never choose investment A when investment B is an option.