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The materialistic view of happiness of our age starkly revealed in our understanding of the word "luxury.
Alain De Botton
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote critiques how modern society defines happiness through material wealth and luxury.

Alain De Botton suggests that contemporary society prioritizes a materialistic approach to happiness, where luxury symbolizes well-being. This view not only distorts our understanding of true happiness but also overlooks deeper, more fulfilling sources of joy that aren't tied to material possessions.

Themes

HappinessMaterialismLuxuryWealthContentment

In practice

Example use cases

Discussing consumerism in a philosophy class.

More from Alain De Botton

It is in books, poems, paintings which often give us the confidence to take seriously feelings in ourselves that we might otherwise never have thought to acknowledge.
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Taking architecture seriously therefore makes some singular and strenuous demands upon us...It means conceding that we are inconveniently vulnerable to the colour of our wallpaper and that our sense of purpose may be derailed by an unfortunate bedspread
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The more closely we analyze what we consider 'sexy,' the more clearly we will understand that eroticism is the feeling of excitement we experience at finding another human being who shares our values and our sense of the meaning of existence.
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Good books put a finger on emotions that are deeply our own - but that we could never have described on our own.
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The challenge of modern relationships: how to prove more interesting than the other's smartphone.
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It is the most ambitious and driven among us who are the most sorely in need of having our reckless hopes dampened through immersive dousings in the darkness which religions have explored. This is a particular priority for secular Americans, perhaps the most anxious and disappointed people on earth, for their nation infuses them with the most extreme hopes about what they may be able to achieve in their working lives and relationships.
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