How Much Is Enough?: The Consumer Society and the Future of the Earth

by Alan Thein Durning

Book Overview

Early in the age of affluence that began after World War II, retailing analyst Victor Lebow declared: "Our enormously productive economy... demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption...We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at an ever increasing rate." Americans have risen...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 039330891X
• ISBN13: 9780393308914
• Release Date: August 1992
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 202 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant and informative evaluation of the consumer society

Has it ever occurred to you that Americans go to shopping malls more often than they attend church or synagogue? Did you know that, directly or indirectly, we consume our own weight in basic resources EVERY DAY? Half a billion people--those who belong to the consumer society--use up almost all of the world's resources and create most of the pollution. This is one of those books that leaves a lasting impression upon the way you perceive the society you live in. This book is not only a smooth read, but is PACKED with carefully researched information in a most wonderful way. Durning backs up all his statements with solid facts. What else would you expect from a senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute? And aside from the conscientious fact-checking, Durning has another Worldwatch habit: he not only presents complex problems in understandable ways, but also presents multi-pronged, workable solutions. Overall, a concise book chock full of careful thinking.