A Philosophical Inquiry into Consumerism and Well-being

Abstract

    This paper explores the philosophical dimensions of consumerism and well-being, posing critical questions about whether consumerism is ingrained in capitalist societies and if it can truly ensure well-being. The paper critically examines consumerism ideology's assumption of human hedonistic nature. Through a critical philosophical analysis, the validity and soundness of this ideology are questioned, particularly on the premises that pleasure is the highest human pursuit, and that consumption is the best means to achieve it. The paper argues that consumerism, driven by capitalist needs, leads to environmental damage and social inequality rather than well-being. By scrutinizing the historical shift in values since the Industrial Revolution and the role of media and advertising, it highlights how consumerism has become a central ideology of capitalism, perpetuating a cycle of consumption and unfulfilled desires. The study concludes that the ideology of consumerism is not inherently tied to human nature but is a tool for sustaining the capitalist economic system, often resulting in false consciousness, environmental degradation and other social problems. The paper also does aprioristic analysis of consumerism and well-being. For this purpose with the combination of utilizing existing literature for evaluating the truthiness of primises, possible definitions of well-being are used with the acknowledgement that wee-being is difficult to define, the article ends up on finding that there is no possibility of well-being through consumerism if we agree on certain definitions of well-being.