Consumerism and christian ethics

Theological Studies 68 (2007)

CONSUMERISM AND CHRISTIAN ETHICS
KENNETH R. HIMES, O.F.M.

The author examines and clarifies the phenomenon of consumerism. He surveys historical and social scientific perspectives before turning to the recent theological and ethical literature on the topic. An emerging concern in the ethical literature is development of a virtue approach along with the papal insistence on striking a proper balance of “being” and “having” as part of authentic human development.

get the least attention from moral theologians. Consumerism is a hallmark of American life. Indeed, many commentators consider the United States the exemplar of the consumer society. Yet the topic has never been the subject of the moral notes. The English word “consume” has its origins in the French consumer and farther back is rooted in the Latin consumere, meaning to devour, waste, exhaust. Its English usage (consume, consumer, consumption) was negative, with consumption being popularly employed to describe tuberculosis. During the 18th century the word began to be used by political economists without the negative connotation: a consumer was distinguished from a producer, and consumption became the counterpart to production.1 In the mid-20th century the word became commonly accepted as a replacement for customer as the buyer or purchaser of goods. Raymond Williams sees this as significant since “customer had always implied some
OMETIMES THE MOST OBVIOUS MATTERS

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KENNETH R. HIMES, O.F.M., received his Ph.D. in religion and public policy from Duke University and is now associate professor and chairperson of the department of theology at Boston College. His recent publications reflect his special interest in Catholic social thought and social ethics: Catholic Social Teaching (Georgetown University, 2005) which he edited; “Vatican II and Contemporary Politics,” in The Catholic Church and the Nation-State, ed. Paul Manuel, et. al. (Georgetown University, 2006); and