- 18 Dec 2018 20:12
#14973538
Would a person who acquired all of his material desires ahead of time and then moved into isolation and obscurity be poor or rich?
He has everything he could possibly want, but is entirely unable to effect social conditions, at the same time, he is not vulnerable to economic exploitation per se.
Most people would regard him as filthy rich having every material thing he wants, but your definition does not seem to permit this. How am I wrong?
"It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals... is incompatible with freedom."
- Patrick Henry
Pants-of-dog wrote:If he is buying stuff, he is still making an impact.
Mind you, this impact is significantly less than the impact he could enjoy if his spending was not limited.
So if we look at poverty as a spectrum, he is far less wealthy than he would otherwise be.
Now, I also mentioned vulnerability to economic exploitation as a criterion.
Since our hypothetical island billionaire is financially secure, he is not poor.
At best, you could say thst he, like the poor, has trouble using his wealth to improve hus situation.
Would a person who acquired all of his material desires ahead of time and then moved into isolation and obscurity be poor or rich?
He has everything he could possibly want, but is entirely unable to effect social conditions, at the same time, he is not vulnerable to economic exploitation per se.
Most people would regard him as filthy rich having every material thing he wants, but your definition does not seem to permit this. How am I wrong?
"It is when a people forget God that tyrants forge their chains. A vitiated state of morals... is incompatible with freedom."
- Patrick Henry