As Tim Jackson argues in Prosperity Without Growth, Schwarz’s findings show why the pursuit of economic growth (chrematistike) can never make us happy. In a modern democracy, says Jackson, the state tries to ensure stability and prosperity by managing the economy, which it does by balancing precisely the tensions identified by Schwarz. But when the government’s goal is recast as pure economic growth, selfishness and novelty will always triumph over tradition and altruism, putting society in a state of self-defeating conflict. In order to thrive, Jackson suggests, we need to bring altruism and
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