Are luxuries immoral? Part 1

The Morality of Everyday Things: An Everyday Philosophy Podcast

The first in a two-parter where we discuss whether luxury goods are immoral. In a true return to form, this is a specific argument we have literally had over the office lunch table, originating from Ant's throwaway statement that he "doesn't get the point of jewellery" and "thinks it's ridiculously wasteful". In order to dissect whether luxuries are immoral, we first break down what exactly counts as a luxury, and secondly explore what exactly would make them immoral.

In this episode, it's all about discussing what luxuries even are. We begin with some general and economic definitions, and then get into what makes something feel like a luxury, beyond some sterile definitions. It all comes down to what is and isn't necessary, and we come up with 2 sub-sets of luxuries to consider: things that are expensive and not necessary, but at least conceivably 'good value', and things that are expensive and not necessary, and are purely expensive as a means of conspicuous spending. We discuss Maslow's heirarchy of needs, distinguishing the difference between 'needs' for literal survival, and 'needs' for greater fulfillment, and several interesting examples of ostentatious spending.

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