期刊名称：Reason Papers : A Journal of Interdisciplinary Normative Studies
印刷版ISSN：0363-1893
出版年度：2003
卷号：26
页码：7-20
出版社：Reason Papers
摘要：That claim may seem ridiculous, in an era of conspicuous consumption. One hardly need belong to the superrich to drive an imposing SUV, dine out frequently at ever better restaurants, shovel grunt work to a housekeeper, pamper oneself with pick-me-ups (facials, massages) once reserved for the upper echelons, or have one's daily routine facilitated by technological conveniences undreamed of a few decades ago. Shopping—and charging—have become national addictions. At the same time that the appetite for material goods seems insatiable, people are commonly plagued by clouds of guilt. Some part of them views material desires as a vice. Students identifying themselves as business majors characteristically inject a self-deprecating remark to pre-empt others' anticipated criticism of their 1interest in money. The familiar analysis is that people today are too materialistic, that thirst for "stuff" has crowded out more worthy pursuits. Our obsession with material goods has created imbalances; workaholics complain of inadequate time to enjoy their riches. The very term "consumer society" is usually a derisive rather than a neutral description of modern life1. Money—at least at the theoretical level—is persistently attacked from left and right alike. Witness recent protests at World Trade Organization meetings and complaints against pharmaceutical companies, lamenting the power of the rich. Or listen to rightwing social commentators (such as William Bennett, Gertrude Himmelfarb, Hilton Cramer) who warn that "having it too easy" corrupts our virtue, makes us soft, and spoils our children.2 Across the political spectrum, all agree that the materially successful bear a responsibility to give back to their communities, implying that prosperity means that one has "taken" too much
