EXCESSIVE CONSUPTION AND THE CAPITALIST MODUS VIVENDI DILEMMA BETWEEN FRUGALITY AND DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Based on the understanding that human beings have diverse interests and aspirations, liberal ideals preach the coexistence and harmonization of different conceptions of a good life, assuming that each person seeks the one that best suits their particular utopia. Contemporary society, however, encourages a specific model of existence focused on consumption, presenting it as the ideal aspiration for individuals and a means to induce economic development. New needs are constantly created through the exhortation to dissatisfaction and desire, generating an endless cycle of demand, discard, and replacement. The damage resulting from excessive consumption is demonstrated, emphasizing, in closing, that a lifestyle based on conscious consumption is fully compatible with development and must be encouraged, based on an ethics of consumption that is adequate to modern conceptions of human development, promoting a sustainable society. The methodology used in this article is qualitative, based on the analysis of documents and specialized bibliography.