The Wisdom of Frugality
Why Less Is More - More or Less
Seiten
2016
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-15508-1 (ISBN)
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-15508-1 (ISBN)
From Socrates to Thoreau, most philosophers, moralists, and religious leaders have seen frugality as a virtue and have associated simple living with wisdom, integrity, and happiness. But why? And are they right? Is a taste for luxury fundamentally misguided? If one has the means to be a spendthrift, is it foolish or reprehensible to be extravagant? In this book, Emrys Westacott examines why, for more than two millennia, so many philosophers and people with a reputation for wisdom have been advocating frugality and simple living as the key to the good life. He also looks at why most people have ignored them, but argues that, in a world facing environmental crisis, it may finally be time to listen to the advocates of a simpler way of life. The Wisdom of Frugality explores what simplicity means, why it's supposed to make us better and happier, and why, despite its benefits, it has always been such a hard sell. The book looks not only at the arguments in favor of living frugally and simply, but also at the case that can be made for luxury and extravagance, including the idea that modern economies require lots of getting and spending.
A philosophically informed reflection rather than a polemic, The Wisdom of Frugality ultimately argues that we will be better off--as individuals and as a society--if we move away from the materialistic individualism that currently rules.
A philosophically informed reflection rather than a polemic, The Wisdom of Frugality ultimately argues that we will be better off--as individuals and as a society--if we move away from the materialistic individualism that currently rules.
Emrys Westacott is professor of philosophy at Alfred University in Alfred, New York, and the author of The Virtues of Our Vices (Princeton). His work has been featured in the New York Times and has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Philosopher's Magazine, Philosophy Now, and many other publications.
INTRODUCTION1 1 What Is Simplicity? 9 2 Why Simple Living Is Supposed to Improve Us 40 3 Why Simple Living Is Thought to Make Us Happier 73 4 Why the Philosophy of Frugality Is a Hard Sell 136 5 The Pros and Cons of Extravagance 163 6 The Philosophy of Frugality in a Modern Economy 200 7 The Environmentalist Case for Simple Living 249 CONCLUSION 275 Acknowledgments 289 Notes 293 Index 307
| Erscheinungsdatum | 21.10.2016 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | 2 b/w illus. |
| Verlagsort | New Jersey |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 140 x 216 mm |
| Gewicht | 482 g |
| Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Ethik |
| ISBN-10 | 0-691-15508-9 / 0691155089 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-691-15508-1 / 9780691155081 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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