Wisdom of Frugality

Why philosophers have advocated simple living for 2,500 years—and why we ignore them at our perilFrom Socrates to Thoreau, most philosophers, moralists, and religious leaders have seen frugality as a virtue and have associated simple living with wisdom, integrity, and happiness. But why? And are they right? Is a taste for luxury fundamentally misguided? If one has the means to be a spendthrift, is it foolish or reprehensible to be extravagant?In this book, Emrys Westacott examines why, for more than two millennia, so many philosophers and people with a reputation for wisdom have been advocating frugality and simple living as the key to the good life. He also looks at why most people have ignored them, but argues that, in a world facing environmental crisis, it may finally be time to listen to the advocates of a simpler way of life.The Wisdom of Frugality explores what simplicity means, why it's supposed to make us better and happier, and why, despite its benefits, it has always been such a hard sell. The book looks not only at the arguments in favor of living frugally and simply, but also at the case that can be made for luxury and extravagance, including the idea that modern economies require lots of getting and spending.A philosophically informed reflection rather than a polemic, The Wisdom of Frugality ultimately argues that we will be better off—as individuals and as a society—if we move away from the materialistic individualism that currently rules.

"A pleasant intellectual tour."---Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic, "Westacott's philosophically informed polemic argues that if we rise above our material individualism, we will be better off, both as a society and as an individual."---Wan Lixin, Shanghai Daily, "Human society is all about meeting the ‘needs' of the populace--but which demands and aspirations are legitimate? It's an important question. . . . [H]ere is a sprightly and authoritative romp through the history of the philosophical advice on the issues."---Martin Cohen, Times Higher Education, "The path to sanity is most likely to lie not in redistributionist programs of dubious merit, but in the course that Westacott models for the better part of The Wisdom of Frugality: a thoughtful willingness to resist the siren calls of the shopping malls and online bazaars for the sake of our mental health, and that of the world in which live."---James Williams, PopMatters, "[A] rewarding examination of our love-hate relationship with wealth and status. . . . In his calm, measured and wise analysis of the virtues and vices of simplicity, Westacott asks why, if almost every sage in history has praised frugal simplicity, we haven't all embraced it."---Julian Baggini, Financial Times

Emrys Westacott is professor of philosophy at Alfred University in New York.