On Luxury: A Cautionary Tale, A Short History of the Perils of Excess from Ancient Times to the Beginning of the Modern Era

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, History, Criticism, & Surveys
Cover of the book On Luxury: A Cautionary Tale, A Short History of the Perils of Excess from Ancient Times to the Beginning of the Modern Era by William Howard Adams, Potomac Books Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William Howard Adams ISBN: 9781612344188
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc. Publication: October 31, 2012
Imprint: Language: English
Author: William Howard Adams
ISBN: 9781612344188
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc.
Publication: October 31, 2012
Imprint:
Language: English
Diamond-encrusted, alligator-skin handbags. Eighteen-course feasts. Yachts the length of city blocks. In the twenty-first century, many point to such conspicuous consumption as reflecting the moral failings of a rampant capitalism that sacrifices community values on an altar of greed. Television shows such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians illustrate the folly of wealth without responsibility even as they elevate their subjects on pedestals of desire. Our discomfort with extravagance is not new. The ancient Greeks and Romans fretted over the ideal relationship between morality and luxury. Politics, religion, and economics influenced the debate, with the concept of luxury as a moral question becoming a core issue in Christian theology and even a cornerstone of the founding of America. People have long feared luxury's evil influence. Society has publicly and privately extolled the virtues of moderation and restraint, and condemned luxury as a breeding ground for vice and sin. After capitalism and the consumer revolution removed its stigma, the concept of luxury underwent a radical transformation, from a vice to be feared to a marketing tool of the new capitalist era. In this lively and thought-provoking narrative, William Howard Adams shows how this simultaneous distrust and embrace of luxury has pervaded Western thought for three millennia, leading us to the question, what price the soul?
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Diamond-encrusted, alligator-skin handbags. Eighteen-course feasts. Yachts the length of city blocks. In the twenty-first century, many point to such conspicuous consumption as reflecting the moral failings of a rampant capitalism that sacrifices community values on an altar of greed. Television shows such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians illustrate the folly of wealth without responsibility even as they elevate their subjects on pedestals of desire. Our discomfort with extravagance is not new. The ancient Greeks and Romans fretted over the ideal relationship between morality and luxury. Politics, religion, and economics influenced the debate, with the concept of luxury as a moral question becoming a core issue in Christian theology and even a cornerstone of the founding of America. People have long feared luxury's evil influence. Society has publicly and privately extolled the virtues of moderation and restraint, and condemned luxury as a breeding ground for vice and sin. After capitalism and the consumer revolution removed its stigma, the concept of luxury underwent a radical transformation, from a vice to be feared to a marketing tool of the new capitalist era. In this lively and thought-provoking narrative, William Howard Adams shows how this simultaneous distrust and embrace of luxury has pervaded Western thought for three millennia, leading us to the question, what price the soul?

More books from Potomac Books Inc.

Cover of the book Beating Goliath by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Soldier of Change by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Blazing Ice: Pioneering the Twenty-first CenturyÆs Road to the South Pole by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Population Decline and the Remaking of Great Power Politics by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Getting Immigration Right by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Geography and Japan's Strategic Choices by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book The National Guard by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Little Phil by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Slaying Leviathan: The Moral Case for Tax Reform by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Valor, Guts, and Luck by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Wellington by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Cold War Submarines by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Whiskey Women by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Games' Most Wanted by William Howard Adams
Cover of the book Post-Cold War Defense Reform by William Howard Adams
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy