Social Justice in the Post-Affluent Society

Abstract

The article spells out the reasons and provides evidence in support of the hypothesis that if the culture of a society shifts from one that extols affluence to one that extols communitarian pursuits-major gains for social justice will become much more probable. An obvious reason to expect that this hypothesis will hold true is that the more members of a particular social grouping view each other as members of the same community-the more they are likely to be willing to support reallocations of wealth that reduce inequality in that society. However, there are much deeper and stronger links between a communitarian culture and social justice. Before I can outline those and present relevant evidence, I need to outline the reasons such a culture shift is called for and what it may encompass.UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONSa. In the near future, a large number of jobs will be lost to smart (AI-equipped) instruments, machines, and robots.b. Unlike previous technological revolutions, this one is unlikely to generate a large number of new jobs.c. Hence, underemployment will increase and many of those who do find jobs will be paid poorly and have few benefits. Indeed many will work in the gig economy.d. Those who design, produce, and own the smart instruments will increase their wealth, leading to growing inequality.e. As a result, most people-who currently expect to improve their economic conditions and to be able to bequeath to their children a better life than they had-will be very frustrated.f. As a result of these trends-as well as others not explored here-these frustrations will result in growing hostility toward the government, the affluent, minorities, and foreigners. These trends are already visible in Europe and, to a lesser extent, in the US.g. These consequences can be mitigated if those who have their basic needs well sated and secured find contentment in pursuits that are not labor or capital intensive and hence have low costs. These communitarian pursuits include spending more time cultivating meaningful relationships; in spiritual pursuits widely understood (from religion to meditation); and in community activism. Reference is not to a culture that favors an austere life but one in which one's consumption is capped at a level at which true needs are fully sated but status goods are avoided -and are sated through one or more communitarian pursuits. (To flag the difference between an austere culture and the one just outlined, I refer to the latter one as a capping society, one in which a person's quest for material goods is not minimized but bounded).2Such a society will be much less taxing on the environment, and much more sustainable, than the affluent society. This is the case because transcendental activities require relatively few scarce resources, fossil fuels, or other sources of physical energy. Social activities (such as spending more time with one's children) require time and personal energy but not large material or financial outlays. (Often those who spend large amounts of money on their kids' toys or entertainment bond less with them than those whose relations are less mediated by objects.) The same holds for cultural and spiritual activities such as prayer, meditation, enjoying and making music, art, sports, and adult education. True, consumerism has turned many of these pursuits into expensive endeavors. However, one can break out of this mentality and find that it is possible to engage in most transcendental activities quite profoundly using a moderate amount of goods and services. One does not need designer clothes to enjoy the sunset or shoes with fancy labels to benefit from a hike. The Lord does not listen better to prayers read from a leather-bound Bible than to those read from a plain one, printed on recycled paper. In short, the transcendental society is much more sustainable than consumer capitalism.RELEVANCE FOR ATTAINING A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER LEVEL OF SOCIAL JUSTICEMuch less obvious are the ways the capped culture serves social justice. …