Taste is an individual's cultural and personal patterns of choice and preference. Our tastes differentiate between styles, mannerisms, consumer goods and works of art that relate to these. Our taste is constructed in a great number of ways, through social interaction or class as well our repeated exposure to different culture, genders or places. Consumerism is directly connected to taste; preference in taste will affect the clothes, food and other commodities bought in a marketplace. Exploited by advertising and corporations, buying has become second nature, resulting in a place where people seem to be drowning in material objects. Somehow there is always a need for more, that bigger is better and the more the merrier!
Minimalism is contra
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You hear of people getting rid of all their possessions and only have one pair of socks and you think they’ve gone mad but this idea of living simply has been around for thousands of years. Many religions around the world advocate a structure of simple living, with activities that would free the mind of material desires. Throughout the Old Testament simple living is a running theme, from the habits of dwellers to the evils of luxury. Jesus of Nazareth guided and proclaimed a life of simplicity, he warned of the ‘decitfulness of the riches’ and dishonourable effects of luxury. Socrates was one of the philosophers to talk of moderation, he believed ones life should be filled with self-development instead of trying to be rich. Believing people were ‘to be esteemed for their virtue, not their wealth’. ‘Fine and rich clothes are suited for comedians. The wicked live to eat; the good eat to live.’(Shi, 2007) The Golden Mean in Greek and Roman philosophy is the desire to be between two extremes. One of the earliest mythological stories of this within culture is Daedalus and Icarus. Daedalus built feathered wings for himself and his son so they might escape from the wickedness of King Minos. He tells his son specifically to ‘fly the middle course’, between the sea spray and the sun’s heat. Icarus didn't listen to his farther and flew up and up until the
Jesus never proclaims that possessions or money is inherently evil, but he does warn against the danger of greed. Jesus does not attack money and possessions, but speaks against becoming enslaved to things of this world. Kraybill proclaims, “We too easily bow down and worship at the altar of materialism.”(Kraybill 2011). Kraybill explains that Jesus’ intentions were to have us apply the same structure and economic principles of the Jubilee to our entire life. The Jubilee system requires that the rich distribute what they have evenly, just as God distributes his love to us all without judgment. Jesus encourages us to practice this on a daily basis. Jesus builds his teachings around serving and loving others first. The pleasures of the world should never be the main focus of our life. Jesus teaches that only when we live our lives in this way can we truly see the Kingdom of God. If we allow money and possessions to be the ruler of our lives they will choke our spiritual growth and we will never be able to live out the true purposes of our lives. Jesus also teaches that we should not get caught up worrying about money or possessions. Faith that God will provide everything we need is all we need in the Kingdom of
Drawing from the eudaimonic view and from SDT, Kasser & Ryan (1993, 1996) related money and materialism to well-being. They predicted that people who place a strong value on wealth...
..., not only will we acknowledge the needs of others by redeeming ourselves from sensuality, but avoid being prideful by acknowledging how unessential material wealth is in our own lives. When we do this we will break out of the the “competitive rat-race without meaning”, or the “vicious circle” (Arrupe 10), by choosing God’s love and the love for others.
If we take time and observe our surroundings, we see people are more concerned about the amount of Louis Vuttons or Michael Kors bags does one purchase than being aware of the person well being because this world today is all about objects than people. The author of the case of consumer society has presented the modern society in such a way that if we stop and think and look around how are generation today has become, making our world a world of materialism. According to karl marx, our world today is a world of objects as mentioned in the case that we have started given priotity more to our purchases than to people around us for example in a gathering of teens, half of them you will notice will be on their gadgets rather than communicating with the people around. This materialism according to marx is due to the rise of capitalism, where people are easily manipulated into making choices which benefit the economy and most of the time we do not even realize it. The whole concept of Shopping malls we see nowdays is a tool of manipulation, have been made the place of goods, acitivies and leisure for the consumers that they become entangled in the shadows of the capitalists.People nowdays go to shopping malls , hangout and do some window shopping and come back stating that it was an outing rather than having any interaction with other people , we chose to interaction with objects to fulfil our desire. Even the way producrts are arranged are not coincidental but a technique of manipulation for example if the product is arranged in a attractive way, consumers automatically get attracted to it rather then the product which is arranged in a disorganize way.This proves what Marx says that consumers in the capitalist society donot have any so...
consumerism can be hugely related to the human phsychology.people want variety and are attracted to it when presented a range of products.furthermore attractive and idealistic advertisements pull potential customers further into the world of consumerism.from 20 different types of cereal to 35
Hobbes’ Materialism religion is portrayed as distinctly similar to Descartes’ in the sense that there is the staunch belief of a supreme being in existence. Descartes suggested that philosophy and material substance mattered as demonstrated by motion whereby an entity’s existence was only based on motion. Descartes had the belief that the earth was formed by a supreme entity, God, who assumed his place as the creator and watched the creation thriving and running dynamically and independently without any supernatural influence (Rogers 1988).
Not everything that is expensive is better. Rich people can get everything they want, but middle class people need to think if they need it, or they can find the same thing cheaper. Most people try to find cheaper things, but some buy expensive things, because they think that it will help them to feel that they are rich. First, people buy those expensive things, and after that they are in debt. Expensive things need a lot of money, but people don’t have them, so they use credit cards to buy for that. According to the article “All that glitters is not gold” says that auto exhibition 32% of attendees bought a car and 56% of attendees reported they were going to buy a car in the near future. It shows that that people don’t have money, but they saw that other people bought the car, and they want it also. My parents just last week bought a new car, because our old one broke. My dad said that everyone has big, and new cars, so we need to buy a costly car like other people have. I thought that it was a stupid idea to look at expensive car, but anyway he found a good car, nor costly, nor cheap car. It is middle cost, and it is a wonderful car. Running after expansive things people forget to look of prices. They forget that they will need to pay for that thing for many years after they buy
Speaking on Wealth, Lady Philosophy says, “wealth cannot make a man free of want and self-sufficient, though this was the very promise we saw it offering” (83). Moreover, Philosophy points out that the gathering of wealth does not stop people from taking that wealth away (83). Indeed, by its very nature, wealth seems contradictory. If we collect wealth, we believe we will be self-sufficient and free of want, so we hoard it; But “being miserly always makes men hated” (65). In its acquisition, wealth takes away from others, as it is a limited thing, and only brings hatred and paranoia to those who gather it. “[I]t is only when money is transferred to others in the exercise of liberality and ceases to be possessed that it becomes valuable” (65). The acquisition of wealth, then, is folly and can never grant true happiness.
Consumerism has always been a big part of society back in the golden days. In today’s society, the ongoing debate of wants and needs are not justified by an individual’s wealth, but it is rather opinionated by the generalized public. Not only are the consumers getting caught in this mess, but many retailers are being sucked in as well. Retailers, have to stay up to date with the latest trends, to make sure they get their products across. Human identity is no longer determined by how much a person makes an hour, but by the commodities they possess. Consumers are so centralized on the materialistic items, that they forget what is more valuable and important. Unfortunately, the frivolous consumption has taken over the
Sensory branding affects the brain by engaging the sensory organs (taste, smell, sight, sound and touch). Brands can’t impart an an aroma via a television or newspaper. In fact, the unique aroma, texture and sound has very little to do with the performance of the product. However, these factors play a great role by the communication between consumer and product. The sensory stimulation not only attracts consumer decisions but also helps distinguish a product from others. These get linked in our memory and finally get a part of our choice.
The word of “hedonic” was defined as relating to the study of pleasure or pleasant and unpleasant experiences (Collins, 2014). However, consumption defined as the amount used or eaten, the act of using, eating, or drinking something, or the situation in which information, entertainment (Cambridge dictionary online, 2014). Hirschman and Holbrook (1982) introduce hedonic consumption as an explanation for the consumer behaviors that deal with the multisensory, fantasy and emotive phases of product usage experience. It was mean that consumer spending for the product influence by their physiological senses, imagination and some emotion for the product usage experience. Specifically, hedonic consumption involves emotional and affective experiences, sensual pleasure, fantasy, and fun (e.g., Adaval 2001; Dhar andWertenbroch 2000; Kivetz and Simonson 2002) and activates positive mood (e.g., Chaudhuri and Holbrook 2001). Hedonic consumption is for those consumers who are concern about their sensual, perception, mood to consume the product rather than consider the price and basic function of the product. It has always compared with utilitarian consumption. Hedonic consumption was in the purpose for fun or emotional involved whereas utilitarian consumption in the purpose of basic need. Consumers purchasing for pleasure care less about the price of that pleasure and consequently are more price inelastic for hedonic goods, whereas consumers making utilitarian purchases wish to get the most useful product for its price (Wakefield &
For several decades, as if, a typical undergraduate dream has been characterized with few major steps – getting prestigious high education, taking or buying a diploma, and consequently becoming a successful rich careerist with intuitively main goal to consume as much as possible in order to boost one’s utility at highest potential level. In this way of thinking, development of personal individualism and pursue of human values are left behind the curtains. Everything that can be seen on the scene of our being is mass consumerism, which slowly, gradually, but surely is transferring us into a hedonistic consumer society. According to an article in European Journal of Marketing, “A consumer society is defined as one directed largely by the accumulation and consumption of material goods. The term "consumer society" is used in a pejorative sense, coming from the perception that such a society will inevitably be hedonistic. It is the search for instant gratification that we traditionally associate with hedonism….”(41 Issue: 2007). In our way to gain deep pleasure, we are over purchasing items and gadgets which once were thought to be extreme luxuries. Most of the times, we are interested in what kind of IPhone we possess, whether to buy a tablet or a laptop, are we are driving more expensive and fancy car than the others, what is more fashionable – a pair of Armani jeans or a pair of Dolce and Cabaña trousers.
His research and publications address environmental thought, cultural inquiry, philosophy of art and culture, holistic well-being, and, applied philosophy and ethics. His book Fashion Myths: A Cultural Critique, discusses advertisements of fashion, and fashion-related goods from a philosophic-anthropological perspective within a contemporary cultural context. In other words, understanding the thoughts of consumers when watching advertisements and making purchases. Understanding the matter from an anthropological perspective, as well as from a design perspective, allows for insight into the matter through an interdisciplinary approach, aiding in understanding the situation from both sides: designer and
The Greek myth King Midas and the Golden Touch tells the story of a man who goes to great lengths to become the wealthiest person in the world. He wishes that whatever he touches shall turn to gold. His wish comes true. At first, he loves the fact that his clothes, bed, and even his rose garden become golden. But, when he can't eat his food or hug his daughter because they also turn to gold, he becomes extremely upset and wishes that he could take everything back (Hawthorne). Isn't it most people's ambition to be wealthy? Though not many people would admit to it, many people would stop at nothing to achieve such great wealth. That is until their ambition backfires and they loose what is really important to them. The myth King Midas and the Golden Touch reveals that in ancient Greek culture, many of the wealthy people were preoccupied with becoming richer and didn't consider the consequences. Much like many people in our society, who become so blinded with greed their judgement becomes clouded, and they...
...wo influences: “scarcity and socialization hypotheses”. The scarcity theory explains how "an individual's priorities reflect one's socioeconomic environment: one places the greatest subjective value on those things that are in relatively short supply" (1990, p.68). Thus, people who are less economically advanced focus a greater importance on material acquisition then the more affluent people. The socialization hypothesis explains that "one's basic values reflect the conditions that prevailed during one's pre adult years" (1990, p.68), and these values are persistently stable over a long period of time. Consequently, the people whom experienced a lack of possessions in previous years are more likely to develop an obsessive desire for material goods, while people who originated from wealthy families may focus on personal fulfillment at the expense of higher incomes.