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  3. The Idea of Luxury
  • Cited by 545
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      01 June 2011
      16 June 1994
      ISBN:
      9780511558368
      9780521466912
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511558368
      Dimensions:
      Weight & Pages:
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.486kg, 292 Pages
      • Subjects:
      History of Ideas, History, History of Ideas and Intellectual History
      Series:
      Ideas in Context (30)
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    • Selected: Digital
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    Subjects:
    History of Ideas, History, History of Ideas and Intellectual History
    Series:
    Ideas in Context (30)
    Information

    Book description

    In this far-ranging and innovative study Christopher Berry explores the meanings and ramifications of the idea of luxury. Insights from political theory, philosophy and intellectual history are utilised in a sophisticated conceptual analysis that is complemented by a series of specific historical investigations. Dr Berry suggests that the value attached to luxury is a crucial component in any society's self-understanding, and shows how luxury has changed from being essentially a negative term, threatening social virtue, to a guileless ploy supporting consumption. His analytic focus upon the interplay between the notions of need and desire suggests that luxuries fall into four categories - sustenance, shelter, clothing and leisure - and these are exemplified in sources as diverse as classical philosophy and contemporary advertising.

    Reviews

    Berry’s monograph, written throughout with great clarity, provides keys to an understanding of the origins of these contemporary issues. His research will prove useful to historians of ideas and also to specialists in ethics, legal philosophy, economics and politics.

    Source: The Oyster Club, The Scottish Journal of Philosophy

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