causal

Greed Triumphed Over Sloth

Keynes underestimated how much people would keep working; rather than using productivity gains for leisure, 'greed has triumphed over sloth' as people channel extra productivity into extra consumption, much of which is positional and zero-sum—pursuing luxury goods to gain status over others.

causalpending

Speaker

Nicholas Bostrom

Evidence Quote

trying to get the luxury articles that make us have higher status than the other people. So it's like a zero-sum element to some of this consumption

Source

Purpose, Pleasure, and Meaning in a World Without Work (with Nicholas Bostrom)EconTalk
Created: 6/13/2026, 12:04:44 AM

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