The Lure of Luxury by Paul Bloom by Max Potochney

Central Claim: Anti-Anti Luxury Goods

mwp59 — 2024-09-27 04:04:40 UTC

"I am anti-anti-luxury goods. The arguments against them are based on an incomplete theory of psychology, one that misses the depth of the pleasures they provide...These objects have value beyond their practical utility" (Bloom 11)

The current arguments against luxury goods are narrow-minded. Individuals that find pleasure in the purchasing or ownership of a luxury item should be encouraged to do so within reason.

Premise: Sentimental/Historical Value

mwp59 — 2024-09-27 04:37:11 UTC

"Thus the history of an object matters to the pleasure we get from it" (Bloom 6).

Individuals may buy a luxury good for a multitude of reasons, including, but not limited to, sentimental and historical value. These items often hold a deeper meaning to the individual, providing them more pleasure than it's mere sensory details.

Premise: Society's Happiness

mwp59 — 2024-09-27 04:51:45 UTC

"This device doesn’t look like a status symbol...It seems more like a whimsical aesthetic object, valuable in part because of our appreciation of the craft and intelligence that went into its creation...Like many luxury goods, art is not valued for its practical utility" (Bloom 10)

Assigning value to such items in order to make ourselves happy is a natural part of human behavior.

Key Term: Signaling Theory

mwp59 — 2024-09-27 05:06:34 UTC

The idea that people buy luxury goods to communicate status.

Key Term: Aesthetic

mwp59 — 2024-09-27 05:08:10 UTC

Concerned with the appreciation of beauty.

Key Term: Consumerism

mwp59 — 2024-09-27 05:08:58 UTC

The tendency to buy more goods and services than is necessary.

Key Term: History

mwp59 — 2024-09-27 05:11:55 UTC

In this context: the unique characteristics or information that an item has attained in it's time.

Key Term: Positional Goods

mwp59 — 2024-09-27 05:13:15 UTC

Items that’s values are determined by what others have; exclusivity.

Key Term: Utilitarian

mwp59 — 2024-09-27 05:13:55 UTC

Attributing to survival; serving a practical function.

Evidence: Sensuality

mwp59 — 2024-09-29 02:32:28 UTC

“In her wonderful 2003 book, The Substance of Style, Virginia Postrel argues that our reaction to many consumer items is ‘immediate, perceptual, and emotional.’ We want these things because of the pleasure we get from looking at and interacting with high-quality products—and there is nothing wrong with this” (Bloom 2).

Any items that brings someone a strong sense of pleasure or contributes to their status will elicit an immediate positive response in them. If our senses tell us we like it, we'll be likely to buy it.

Evidence: Emotional Support

mwp59 — 2024-09-29 04:13:16 UTC

"Some goods, including luxury goods, are valued for properties that have nothing to do with what other people think, so worries about arms races just don’t apply. Frank ends his book Falling Behind (2007) by discussing a 200 percent consumption tax on top earners. What would be lost, he wonders" (Bloom 9-10).

By increasing the difficulty to find pleasure in luxury purchases, people will end up looking elsewhere to satisfy their need for validation. Yet, this raises the question of whether or not losing the emotional support that luxury goods provide people would be detrimental to society's well-being as a whole.

Evidence: Attachment

mwp59 — 2024-09-29 04:31:59 UTC

"The same is true for the endowment effect, which exists in children, monkeys, and chimpanzees. Thus the history of an object matters to the pleasure we get from it" (Bloom 6).

If you perceive an item's history in a positive light, whether that be through you or something else's association to it, you'll grow an attachment to it. This inherently provides humans a feeling of happiness, and owning such items can serve to strengthen the effects of that feeling.

Evidence: Evolutionary Trait

mwp59 — 2024-09-29 04:45:17 UTC

"We are not empiricists, obsessed with appearance. Rather, the surfaces of things are significant largely because they reflect an object’s deeper nature...So young children appreciate that a porcupine surgically modified to look like a cactus is nonetheless still a porcupine" (Bloom 8).

An understanding of the meaning behind items' characteristics is a universal trait among humans due to evolution. This constant search for deeper information is a necessary part of keeping our minds happy and healthy.

Disconnection: Happiness Inequality

mwp59 — 2024-09-29 05:03:13 UTC

Regarding the theory behind positional goods, making a luxury more exclusive may only further strengthen the pleasure it brings its owner. Could this create an even larger disparity in happiness between people of different socioeconomic statuses?

Connection: Interpretation

mwp59 — 2024-09-29 05:10:03 UTC

The way that we respond to characteristics we identify in items largely contributes to our development as people. Thus, it should be encouraged to respond positively to items we find naturally enticing, no matter the context.