Ethics of Consumption: The Good Life, Justice, and Global Stewardship(Philosophy and the Global Context)

Scholars in diverse fields now agree on the importance of investigating the impact of consumption practices on the global environment, quality of life, and international justice. In this comprehensive collection of essays, most of which appear for the first time, eminent scholars from many disciplines-philosophy, economics, sociology, political science, demography, theology, history, and social psychology-examine the causes, nature, and consequences of present-day consumption patterns in the United States and throughout the world. Specifically, the essays evaluate the impact of consumption practices on our own lives, our institutions, other people, and the environment. The contributors give explicit attention to the principles relevant for a consumption ethic, as well as to the policies and practices that such an ethic permits or requires. These engaging, jargon-free essays frame the problem of consumption in a variety of ways, challenging readers to see the issue from new perspectives. For scholars and students from across the disciplines, as well as for environmental and consumer activists, this volume will serve as the touchstone for discussions of consumption and global stewardship.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Introduction Part 2 Part I: Consumption, Natural Resources, and the Environment Part 3 Part II: Explaining Consumption Part 4 Part III: Assessing Consumption Part 5 Part IV: Consumption and the Good Life: The Capabilities Approach Part 6 Part V: Consumption and the Good Life: Religious and Theological Perspectives Part 7 Part VI: Consumption and International Justice

About the Author :
David A. Crocker is a senior research scholar at the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy and the School of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland. He is a founder and current president of the International Development Ethics Association. Toby Linden was a research assistant at the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy and is currently an educational consultant.

Review :
The focus on ethical issues and the incorporation of religious perspectives make this collection unusual and valuable. . . . No book that I've read provides such a sustained debate on the ethical issues of consumption. Ethics of Consumption: The Good Life, Justice and Global Stewardship represents a much needed collection of readings aimed at thinking philosophically about consumption. These essays provide a useful perspective rarely found in books about consumption. ...useful and insightful material... One only wishes it would become part of the MBA curriculum, for it makes exceedingly clear how consumptiongravely threatens our vision of the good life. The first and only anthology on the subject of consumption and ethics. Its strength is in the cumulative impact of a number of excellent individual selections that create a background for further thought and reflection on consumption. The volume is a tremendous effort, one worth reading and worth using in any relevant course. The volume develops many important themes and is worth mining for illuminating facts and perspectives. TTTTT The collection offers considerable insight and is a necessary resource for anyone working in the area. Ethics of Consumption is an excellent start at taking consumption and the consumer society seriously by making connections between the life we live and the world we live in. It would make a useful . . . supplementary text for undergraduate courses . . . One only wishes it would become part of the MBA curriculum, for it makes exceedingly clear how consumption . . . gravely threatens our vision of the good life. Ethics of Consumption: The Good Life, Justice and Global Stewardship represents a much needed collection of readings aimed at thinking philosophically about consumption. These essays provide a useful perspective rarely found in books about consumption. ...useful and insightful material... One only wishes it would become part of the MBA curriculum, for it makes exceedingly clear how consumptiongravely threatens our vision of the good life. The first and only anthology on the subject of consumption and ethics. Its strength is in the cumulative impact of a number of excellent individual selections that create a background for further thought and reflection on consumption. The volume is a tremendous effort, one worth reading and worth using in any relevant course. The volume develops many important themes and is worth mining for illuminating facts and perspectives. T A terribly provocative set of essays, in the end an unapologetic search for general principles-scientific and normative-that could lead to an ethic of consumption, a set of criteria that could help experts and laypeople alike assess the personal, institutional, and environment impacts of consuming.