Material Prosperity​—A Universal Goal

“MATERIAL consumption is said to be the national religion. All Americans are supposed to want to be rich, and the culture is one of comfort and pleasure. . . . The materialism of American life is all-pervasive.” Such is reported to be the view of American life currently expressed in French school textbooks.a

Allowing for exaggeration, there is undoubtedly some truth in this assessment. The standard of living in the United States has become the criterion for measuring the economic success of any nation. Only a few other countries (such as Switzerland and Sweden) can boast of having a similar standard of living. These favored few have become the envy of the many others, including communistic countries.

“Higher pay,” “fewer working hours” and “better living conditions.” These are the demands of the working classes in all lands, whether their system of government is capitalistic, socialistic or communistic.

As applied to people’s attitude toward life, the word “materialism” has been defined as “the doctrine that comfort, pleasure, and wealth are the only or highest goals or values.” Who will deny that a large percentage of mankind has adopted such a materialistic outlook on life? For many, material prosperity has become synonymous with happiness. It seems to have become the universal goal to be attained. But by what means?

Many people in industrial countries sincerely believe that the capitalist system offers the best hope of prosperity and happiness. They are for free enterprise, with as little interference from the state as possible.

Millions of others are convinced that capitalism favors the few, to the detriment of the greater number. They prefer communism, an economic and political system based on the ownership of all property by the community or the state. They are willing to forgo certain freedoms provided the state guarantees them material prosperity.

Between these two groups are millions of others for whom the way to material prosperity and happiness is through neither capitalism nor communism. They recognize the disadvantages of the capitalist system, but also the dangers of communism. They hope, by means of reforms, to bring about an equalitarian, democratic society based on state planning and public control of the principal means of production. These are the socialists, variously called Social Democrats, Laborites, Welfare Staters, and so forth.

A brief examination of the history of capitalism, communism and socialism, and of the results obtained by these systems, will help us to see if any one of them can bring true happiness.

[Footnotes]