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Start giftingThe Wisdom of Frugality
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Learn moreIn this book, Emrys Westacott examines why, for more than two millennia, so many philosophers and people with a reputation for wisdom have been advocating frugality and simple living as the key to the good life. He also looks at why most people have ignored them, but argues that, in a world facing environmental crisis, it may finally be time to listen to the advocates of a simpler way of life.
The Wisdom of Frugality explores what simplicity means, why it's supposed to make us better and happier, and why, despite its benefits, it has always been such a hard sell. The book looks not only at the arguments in favor of living frugally and simply, but also at the case that can be made for luxury and extravagance, including the idea that modern economies require lots of getting and spending.
A philosophically informed reflection rather than a polemic, The Wisdom of Frugality ultimately argues that we will be better off—as individuals and as a society—if we move away from the materialistic individualism that currently rules.
Emrys Westacott is professor of philosophy at Alfred University in Alfred, New York. His work has been featured in the New York Times and has appeared in the Philosopher's Magazine, Philosophy Now, The Humanist, and other publications. He is also the coauthor of Thinking through Philosophy: An Introduction.
Michael Healy trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and has appeared off-Broadway and off-off Broadway in many productions. He worked on Saturday Night Live for three years and has appeared in several national television commercials. In New York he has worked on stage with Harold Prince, Tatum O'Neal, and William Hickey, and in Rhode Island he has worked extensively with the Gamm Theatre, the Rhode Island Center for the Performing Arts, the Courthouse Center for the Arts, and the Firehouse Theater. He won an award for acting in 2007.