Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire deals with what Cavanaugh refers to as “the basic matters of economic life”, which is the free market, consumerism, globalization, and scarcity, as he aims to change the reader’s views on each of these topics. Cavanaugh also gives his argument both for and against each of these matters, which are often characterized by stories or comparisons which make his arguments and points a little easier to understand and a little clearer. Cavanaugh also answers few questions such as, are we for or against the free market? Should we not think of ourselves as a consumer? Are we for or againt globalization? How do we live in a world of scarce resources? And finally, when is a market free? (Loc.8 and 14). Cavanaugh anwers and addresses these issues within the “four brief chapters” of his book.
Thesis
In the very beginning of Being
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He describes globalization “as a kind of aesthetics, a way of looking at the world that produces and is produced by a certain kind of desire.” (Loc.52) Globalization is consumed with diversification. Some might say globalization is ignorant to the needs and desires of the local. The concluding chapter, titled “scarcity and abundance,” deals with hunger and the market as well as hunger and the Eucharist. Hunger and the market speaks of the economic side. Economics is the allocation of resources under scarce conditions (Loc.927) and this is the very basis of the market. Scarcity exists when the desires and needs of all people cannot be met and that is when “hunger” is put into the equation under which econimics operates. As long as people continue to want, there will always be scarcity in the market. Hunger and the Eucharist tells of another story. It tells of the story of Jesus Christ who is the abundant bread of life. Jonh 6 gives referrence to us having satisfaction and abundance in Christ. “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” (John
On the other side, if a person lives by the words of Christ, they are satisfied. This reminds me of a quote that my brother likes that says, "Jesus + nothing = everything." With the words and affirmations of Christ, we find our hope and strength. The words of the Lord are encouragement and show us things about our Creator; it gives us knowledge. This gives us the energy and drive to get up in the morning and live for the glory of God.
Food is the way that person satisfies a felt need. She writes, “When the gluttonous feel need or emptiness, they do not want to have to depend on God or wait on God to fill it” (156). Therefore, the eating becomes a mission to self-gratification and appeasing their appetite becomes their highest unction. Their stomach has become the master, as Paul wrote, “… their god is their belly…”
These economic concepts were scarcity and choice and self -interest. The first economic concept of scarcity and choice is seen when the authors discuss money as a limited resource. The limited resources which in this case is money by incomes that cause people to decline health insurance coverage. According to Sered and Fernandopulle, it is an individual’s choice not to get any health insurance because they cannot afford it. Sometimes it comes down to choosing to pay their bills or have proper health coverage.
By challenging common assumptions and being ethical he effectively claims that the solution to solving these global hunger problems is foreign assistance. Paarlberg shows Pathos, Ethos and Logos through the thought of unravelling worldwide starvation by being realistic of the view on pre-industrial food and farming. Pathos is clearly evident in Paarlberg’s article through the presentation of the food insecurity problem in Africa and Asia. He uses impassioned words as an attempt to reach out to his target audience on a more emotional level by agitating and drawing sympathy of whole food shoppers and policy makers. Paarlberg employs Pathos during the article when he says, “The majority of truly undernourished people -- 62 percent, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization -- live in either Africa or South Asia, and most are small farmers or rural landless laborers living in the countryside of Africa and South Asia” (page 611-12).
William T Cavanaugh (2008), wrote Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire which is a philosophical book, which focus on four (4) economic life matters that addresses the consumer culture within society. These four economic life matters are free market, consumerism, globalization and economic scarcity. In order for this topic to be discussed on a theological point of view, the author draws the reader’s attention to human life, the ends of life in God. The key question in every process is whether or not the transaction contributes to the flourishing of each person involved. In order to address these questions the author points to concrete examples of alternative economic practices in which Christians participate-: business, co-operatives, credit union, practices of consumption which marks the vision for Christian economic life.
Therefore considering Beck’s thesis, it is still applicable or relevant to the third world and not just only limited to the so called industrialized (first world) countries or a particular social class since globalization has no boundaries. A good understanding of Beck’s thesis commences with an understanding of the explosion of industrial modernity and the manner it is overshadowing nature. Structure:
Consumerism and Consumption in Eighteenth Century Britain Consumo ergo sum - I consume, therefore I am. This turn on the classic phrase I think, therefore I am has become increasingly popular, especially used for reflection on our society and by critics of capitalism. In order to understand our society better, it is important to descry the origins of the capitalistic ecosphere we live in. Traces of consumerism can be found throughout all ages of humanity, however a particularly great shift took place in the eighteenth century. This essay intends to prove that the new culture of consumerism influenced the British society in all aspects during this period.
“Money” Analysis Paper In MP Dunleavey’s essay, “Buy Yourself Less Stuff”, she discusses various flaws with our society’s use of money and suggests a few solutions to correct those flaws. Most people assume that buying things and having stuff will give them a lasting happiness, but the truth is the happiness that having material items brings is only short-lived. People continue to chase after this lasting happiness which creates what Dunleavey refers to as the “never-ending treadmill of consumption.” To avoid being on this treadmill, she suggests spending money only on things that will benefit people’s long-term happiness.
Consumption In Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”, the concepts of consumerism and utopia are continuously compared and discussed in tandem with one another to decide if any correlation between them is present. Although people may argue that the humans belonging to the World State are happy, their lack of simple human pleasures such as love, religion, intellect, free will, etc, denies the people of actual joy. Since the government is what controls these pleasures by glorifying consumption, the World State’s culture and consumerism must interrelate. The government's control of common human experiences and characteristics such as love, pain, religion, and free will result in the total dependence on the state.
This sociological study will analyze the problem of commodity fetishism in American consumer culture. Karl Marx’s theory of commodity fetishism is a major problem in the United States due to the inability of consumers to see the intrinsic value of a commodity. American consumer culture tends to become trapped in the “magical qualities” of a product, which makes them unable to understand the object as it was made by a laborer. This abstraction of the commodity is part of Marx’s analysis of capitalist products that is separated from the labor and become valuable objects in and of themselves. This is an important sociological perspective on commodities, which creates an irrational consumer culture in the American marketplace.
Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” —John 6:35. “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”