Why the rich must get richer
http://economist.com/books/displayStory.cfm?story_id=5135504
Nov 10th 2005
From The Economist print edition
Do industrial countries care too much about growth? No, they ought to
care more
DEBATES about economic growth usually turn on the tension between
material benefits and moral drawbacks. Rising living standards are fine
in themselves, but the endless quest for them tends to be morally
compromising-or so goes a commonly expressed point of view.
Anti-globalists and other critics of capitalism press the point
hardest, but even proponents of growth often cast the issue this way.
Growth is worth having, especially in the developing countries, where
poverty kills people, but in the rich world, the case is less clear.
After a certain point, the pursuit of more wealth may be futile and
morally enervating, especially if it burdens other people and future
generations. There is more to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness than a faster car and an iPod nano.
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