news…

No I don’t. Unless you count a shared studio apartment by the train tracks (right where they stop the cargo trains so that I use the sound of the cars crashing into each other as an early morning alarm) as a house, I neither have nor particularly care to have any of those ‘things.’

I liked your analysis of the misunderstanding of what harmful materialism is. In a similar way, I suspect that there is some truth to the studies mockingly refered to by Russell above, but his skepicism is correct as such studies are easy targets for use in bad arguments. I’d write more, but I have to research the 50 types of toothpaste options before I go shopping in the morning… whitening of tartar control… cool mint or rain forest fresh… This feels much worse than losing $10, but at least the train tracks are only a short walk away.

No I don’t. Unless you count a shared studio apartment by the train tracks (right where they stop the cargo trains so that I use the sound of the cars crashing into each other as an early morning alarm) as a house, I neither have nor particularly care to have any of those ‘things.’

I liked your analysis of the misunderstanding of what harmful materialism is. In a similar way, I suspect that there is some truth to the studies mockingly refered to by Russell above, but his skepicism is correct as such studies are easy targets for use in bad arguments. I’d write more, but I have to research the 50 types of toothpaste options before I go shopping in the morning… whitening of tartar control… cool mint or rain forest fresh… This feels much worse than losing $10, but at least the train tracks are only a short walk away.

No I don’t. Unless you count a shared studio apartment by the train tracks (right where they stop the cargo trains so that I use the sound of the cars crashing into each other as an early morning alarm) as a house, I neither have nor particularly care to have any of those ‘things.’

I liked your analysis of the misunderstanding of what harmful materialism is. In a similar way, I suspect that there is some truth to the studies mockingly refered to by Russell above, but his skepicism is correct as such studies are easy targets for use in bad arguments. I’d write more, but I have to research the 50 types of toothpaste options before I go shopping in the morning… whitening of tartar control… cool mint or rain forest fresh… This feels much worse than losing $10, but at least the train tracks are only a short walk away.

Wow, with that phrase, you lose pretty much all credibility. Seriously, that’s just silly. Kasser’s research is flawed, and like many scientists, he draws unwarranted conclusions from it. Furthermore, it’s not unlikely that his conclusions were ideologically motivated, but it has nothing to do with a “pomo crowd” attacking reason and truth. Jesus.

Wow, with that phrase, you lose pretty much all credibility. Seriously, that’s just silly. Kasser’s research is flawed, and like many scientists, he draws unwarranted conclusions from it. Furthermore, it’s not unlikely that his conclusions were ideologically motivated, but it has nothing to do with a “pomo crowd” attacking reason and truth. Jesus.

Secondly, regarding such research in general, Kasser’s rhetorical leaps remind me of “happiness” studies in general that have been used to justify state intervention and redistributive schemes. I recall hearing an NPR commentator last year all atwitter at a study whose results proclaimed that the amount of consumer choice we have now makes people unhappy. Another one was the claim that absolute wealth (ie, the huge amount we all have) isn’t important, but only relative wealth, or wealth disparities between the wealthiest and the poorest (which we also have) matters.

Secondly, regarding such research in general, Kasser’s rhetorical leaps remind me of “happiness” studies in general that have been used to justify state intervention and redistributive schemes. I recall hearing an NPR commentator last year all atwitter at a study whose results proclaimed that the amount of consumer choice we have now makes people unhappy. Another one was the claim that absolute wealth (ie, the huge amount we all have) isn’t important, but only relative wealth, or wealth disparities between the wealthiest and the poorest (which we also have) matters.