Pride and Contempt – the Values of the World of Consumption Cover Image

Pycha i pogarda – cnoty świata konsumpcji
Pride and Contempt – the Values of the World of Consumption

Author(s): Joanna Mysona-Byrska
Subject(s): Philosophy
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej
Keywords: pride; contempt; consumerism; virtues

Summary/Abstract: Pride (conceit) and contempt for centuries have been classified as faults. For the pope Gregor VI pride is the first cardinal sin. In the world of consumption, values and virtues are subject to far-reaching changes due to the specificity of this world and the subordination of everything to the principles of growth and profit. What matters most is money. The world of consumption makes pride and contempt virtues, because a man who is proud and contemp-tuous is at home in a world where condescension through ostentatious consumption is con-sidered something good and testifies to the success achieved. Pride and contempt, supported by arrogance and a narcissistic attitude towards oneself, make one an ideal consumer - sus-ceptible to influence, not resistant to advertising, chasing the next “must-haves” of the season, without which the consumer is not high enough in the social hierarchy. In the article I show how pride and contempt are transformed from defects to the virtues of the world of con-sumption and what their consequences are once they become recognized as such.

  • Issue Year: 2021
  • Issue No: 32
  • Page Range: 53-67
  • Page Count: 15
  • Language: Polish