Consuming goods and the good of consuming
- 1 September 1994
- journal article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Critical Review
- Vol. 8 (4) , 503-520
- https://doi.org/10.1080/08913819408443358
Abstract
The tendency to denigrate consumerism derives from the widespread acceptance of sociological theories that represent consumers as prompted by such reprehensible motives as greed, pride, or envy. These theories are largely unsubstantiated and fail to address the distinctive features of modern consumption, such as the apparent insatiability of wants and the preference for the novel over the familiar. A more plausible view of consumerism regards it as an aspect of hedonism, and links consumption to the widespread practice of daydreaming. Seen in this light, one can discern an idealistic dimension to modern consumption.Keywords
This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit:
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- The Impact of a Money Economy on Consumption PatternsThe Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1956