ABSTRACT
This chapter examines whether alternative conceptions of the economic realm might lead to more sustainable and more satisfying consumption patterns. There are many possible conceptions of the economic realm, each of which incorporates an image of the good life, a view of how the economy is related to the good life, criteria for assessing economic performance, and an understanding of what it is to live at a high economic standard. A second alternative to the mass consumption society, one that focuses not on leisure and its use but on work itself, may be called "the life of creative work". As a social ideal, graceful simplicity can only be achieved through an interaction of changes on the personal level—changes in how we live—and changes in social policy. In modern industrial economies such as ours, it may seem perfectly rational to accept a philosophy of consumerism.
