Regulating our Consumer Culture: What Role Can the Law Play in Addressing Excessive Consumption?

Insatiable: Why Everything is not Enough

Philosophy in the Contemporary World ◽

10.5840/pcw2020261/23 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 69-89

Author(s):

Charles Harvey ◽

Keyword(s):

Consumer Culture ◽

Final Section ◽

Homo Sapiens ◽

Brain Plasticity ◽

History Of Philosophy ◽

Religious Thought ◽

History Of ◽

Excessive Consumption ◽

Human Awareness

In this essay, I argue that the deepest roots of Homo sapiens’ propensity towards excessive consumption lie in the emptiness of human awareness, itself possibly rooted in brain plasticity. I attempt to demonstrate how this insight emerged and appeared repeatedly throughout the history of philosophy and religious thought and how industrialized capitalism and consumer culture led to the current domination and envelopment of our lives by the “commodity canopy.” In the final section of the paper, I envision one way that contemporary humanity might use the history of insights about empty, restless awareness and brain plasticity to develop cultures that focus more on doing than having, more on events than on objects.

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PERSONAL ASPIRATIONS, THE “GOOD LIFE” AND THE LAW

Deakin Law Review ◽

10.21153/dlr2005vol10no1art267 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 33-47 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

TIM KASSER

Keyword(s):

Personal Growth ◽

Consumer Culture ◽

Good Life ◽

Well Being ◽

The Good Life ◽

Legislative Agendas ◽

The Law ◽

Ecological Behaviour

[Many of the messages conveyed and laws created by capitalistic, consumer culture encourage the pursuit of goals for wealth, image and status. Sub- stantial research shows, however, that when individuals focus on such “ex- trinsic” goals, they report lower personal well-being and engage in more problematic social and ecological behaviour than when they are oriented towards “intrinsic” pursuits for personal growth, affiliation, and community feeling. Legislative agendas that are designed to increase “time affluence” and protect children from commercialisation are discussed as example ac- tivities lawyers could pursue to help increase intrinsic and decrease extrin- sic aspirations.]

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Ethical Challenges: Less About Moral Wrongdoing and More About Communication Breakdown

Perspectives on Gerontology ◽

10.1044/gero20.3.72 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 72-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Paula Leslie ◽

Mary Casper

Keyword(s):

Ethical Challenges ◽

Speech Language Pathology ◽

Thickened Liquids ◽

Communication Breakdown ◽

Professional Duty ◽

Language Pathology ◽

The Law ◽

Personal Case

“My patient refuses thickened liquids, should I discharge them from my caseload?” A version of this question appears at least weekly on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association's Community pages. People talk of respecting the patient's right to be non-compliant with speech-language pathology recommendations. We challenge use of the word “respect” and calling a patient “non-compliant” in the same sentence: does use of the latter term preclude the former? In this article we will share our reflections on why we are interested in these so called “ethical challenges” from a personal case level to what our professional duty requires of us. Our proposal is that the problems that we encounter are less to do with ethical or moral puzzles and usually due to inadequate communication. We will outline resources that clinicians may use to support their work from what seems to be a straightforward case to those that are mired in complexity. And we will tackle fears and facts regarding litigation and the law.

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