tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9124539381685751273.post9088007206409771582..comments2023-06-19T04:35:06.263-07:00Comments on Skeptic's Play: Even if capitalism has problems, consumerism is finemillerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05990852054891771988noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9124539381685751273.post-76140496466051505472015-04-05T14:24:54.853-07:002015-04-05T14:24:54.853-07:00It isn't clear what people mean when they crit...It isn't clear what people mean when they criticize consumerism. The essay I linked does not name a single example, and just refers vaguely to black friday and household debt. Other people complain about electronic devices. Or status goods. Or in your case physical resource-intensive goods. These are some very dissimilar complaints!<br /><br /><br />My view is that all of it counts as consumption. Anti-consumerists would do better to say what they mean--that they oppose a particular kind of consumption.millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05990852054891771988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9124539381685751273.post-31519454171259118812015-04-05T13:40:44.959-07:002015-04-05T13:40:44.959-07:00That seems to me to be a very odd framing. Harmin...That seems to me to be a very odd framing. Harming the environment decreases our ability to exist in the future. We should clarify how we're defining "consumption of goods." One could define it very generally to include most economic activity, in which case I agree with your point but think it tautological. However, I think most critiques of "consumerism" / consumption (I haven't read the article you linked) are singling out the kinds of consumption epitomized by the late-20th century US: non-edible, limited-durability, mass-manufactured, physical-resource-intensive consumer goods-- as opposed to, say, information goods. I'm not sure if "consumption" excludes services, but "consumption of goods" seems to exclude it, and generally consumption of labor-intensive services (ranging from education to visiting restaurants to enjoying art) are more environmentally and economically sustainable (not to mention generally making people happier) than resource-intensive goods.millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05990852054891771988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9124539381685751273.post-29876914805602540992015-04-05T13:27:44.283-07:002015-04-05T13:27:44.283-07:00To address the second point, one way of framing th...To address the second point, one way of framing the externalities is to say that short-sighted use of resources will harm the environment and decrease our ability to consume in the future. So the reason we care about the environment is again because we are pro-consumption.millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05990852054891771988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9124539381685751273.post-47100405171989878462015-04-05T11:43:04.158-07:002015-04-05T11:43:04.158-07:00I agree with your points about equality, but I do ...I agree with your points about equality, but I do think that unbridled consumerism is a problem, because of the point made that advertisers do get people to consume goods that may be neutral or detrimental to their welfare (e.g. soda), and because consumption tends to deplete resources and have environmental externalities that the market alone does not address.millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05990852054891771988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9124539381685751273.post-90305613264361089312015-03-31T17:09:30.624-07:002015-03-31T17:09:30.624-07:00After further looking around, I believe that you h...After further looking around, I believe that you heard that somewhere, and simply assumed it would appear on Wikipedia. But it does not appear, nor is it even mentioned on the Wikipedia talk page. I really don't know where you heard that, but it appears the source was so disreputable that not even Piketty's opponents saw fit to mention them.millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05990852054891771988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9124539381685751273.post-65636340094563559912015-03-31T16:40:12.140-07:002015-03-31T16:40:12.140-07:00You may have to highlight the particular section w...You may have to highlight the particular section where Wikipedia says that. I see many critiques but cherry-picking is not among them.millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05990852054891771988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9124539381685751273.post-59698950977684301642015-03-31T16:30:45.556-07:002015-03-31T16:30:45.556-07:00Just FYI, Piketty's book has been widely criti...Just FYI, Piketty's book has been widely criticized in economics circles for cherry-picking data on which its claims are made (among other criticisms). The wikipedia article covers just the tip of the iceberg. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_in_the_Twenty-First_Century#Criticismmillerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05990852054891771988noreply@blogger.com