| This question <179|206> overall <179|181> Veblen: <135-1|222>. |
| Question 306: Why does monetary wealth have the urge to multiply itself? (Do not describe at this point how it does it but why in modern society the unlimited accumulation of wealth is such an overriding and powerful objective.) |
| [180] Veblen: valorization of money Maverick's statement in [179], that we wish to “capture the unlimited use-values which money respresents”, cannot be argued against. However, I would like to offer a few more sociological reasons for this phenomenon. I believe that in modern society the valorization of money has a number of purposes. |
| The first purpose embodies two principles, pecuniary emulation and conspicuous consumption. In modern society your worth is determied by your commodity wealth; this basic fact underlies the impetus for conspicuous consumption (the more you consume the more money you must have and hence the more socially valid you are). Pecuniary emulation, or the proving of your social validity by means of conspicuous consumption is another motivation an individual would have for acquiring more wealth. |
| Let us not ignore the fact that the valorization of money may result from a human desire for security or peace of mind. |
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