Voluntary Simplicity as a Spiritual Remedy for Hypermaterialism and Overconsumption: Perspectives from Two of the Oldest Faiths

Authors

  • Hershey Friedman Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, USA
  • James Lynch Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35478/jime.2023.1.07

Keywords:

Voluntary Simplicity, Hypermaterialism, Attitude of Judaism Toward Ostentation, Overconsumption, Buddhism and Voluntary Simplicity

Abstract

Hypermaterialism and overconsumption harm the environment and present serious ethical problems. This paper examines how Jewish scholarship encourages one to live a life of voluntary simplicity and avoid ostentation. Judaism addresses four moral dangers associated with living a lavish, luxuriant lifestyle: (1) arousing the envy of others, (2) causing others to be ashamed of their lack of means, (3) producing feelings of arrogance and conceit, and (4) compelling one to become dishonest in order to maintain said extravagant lifestyle. The viewpoint of Buddhism regarding simplicity is also discussed.

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Published

2023-06-11

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2023)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Journal of Intercultural Management and Ethics

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.