..materialism... and conspicuous consumption...

Materialism refers to how a person or group chooses to spend their resources, particularly money and time. Literally, a materialist is a person for whom collecting material goods is an important priority. In common use, the word more specifically refers to a person who primarily pursues wealth, possessions and luxury. Sometimes such a person displays conspicuous consumption.


Opposition to economic materialism comes from many sources including religion, environmentalism and social activism. Many religions oppose materialism because of the belief that it interferes with spirituality and the Divine, or that it leads to an immoral lifestyle. Some social activists believe that materialism is often a source of societal ills such as war, crime, poverty, oppression and genocide.. A main concern is that materialism is unable to offer a proper raison d'etre for human existence. Supporters of environmentalism feel that increasing materialism is unsustainable, especially when coupled with population growth, and most often leads to an increased destruction of nature.