Voluntary Simplicity: Responding to Consumer Culture

by Daniel Doherty (Editor)

A simpler life. In a shadow cast by the jarring beginning of the new millennium, simplicity has an undeniable appeal. Global conflicts, domestic security concerns, and a stalling economy can make keeping up with the Joneses feel like, at best, a misguided luxury. Now is not a time for excess; it is a time, it would seem, to focus on 'what really matters.' Thus the appeal of voluntary simplicity, a notion that combines the freedom of modernity with certain comforts and virtues of the past. The authors in this volume speak to the what, why, and how of voluntary simplicity (and even to some extent the where, when, and who). Those included range from contemporary academics to thinkers from the turn of the last century, from ardent supporters to staunch critics. They approach the subject from a variety of perspectives-economic, psychological, sociological, historical, and theological. Each either implicitly or explicitly helps us explore the desirability and feasibility of voluntary simplicity.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

2007 wrote: a very interesting collection studying the phenomenon of cutting ties to the corporate consumer machine. Here one can find the reasons, but also suggestions on the onward movement. Just the concept of voluntary simplicity fascinates me and has made my life more fruitful and healthy. Just cutting the cords to the things that make one question and want so much makes things easier. Essays entitled "Early American Simplicity: The Quaker Ethic" by David Shi and "Simple Needs" by Charles Wagner were particularly interesting.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book consists of several essays by various authors. Several of the authors made claims that were not backed by evidence. One essay had exactly zero footnotes or references. Needs more academic rigor.