Prosperity
Being well off. The essays ask whether it means more production and consumption, or something broader.
What the essays say
The capitalism essay questions whether prosperity can be measured only in output, and asks about time, security, debt, and what is traded away to produce what we measure.
But is prosperity only the amount of stuff we can produce and consume?
Where people disagree
- A common view equates prosperity with rising incomes and output, since they fund almost everything else people value.
- Others argue for broader measures: health, security, time, relationships, and the ability to live a self-directed life.
- Some economists argue that the two views mostly agree over the long run, because growth tends to pay for the broader goods.
