Money and the Meaning of Life - Softcover

Needleman, Jacob

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385262426 ISBN 13: 9780385262422

Publisher: Doubleday, 1994

Synopsis

If we understood the true role of money in our lives, writes philosopher Jacob Needleman, we would not think simply in terms of spending it or saving it. Money exerts a deep emotional influence on who we are and what we tell ourselves we can never have. Our long unwillingness to understand the emotional and spiritual effects of money on us is at the heart of why we have come to know the price of everything, and the value of nothing. Money has everything to do with the pursuit of an idealistic life, while at the same time, it is at the root of our daily frustrations. On a social level, money has a profound impact on the price of progress. Needleman shows how money slowly began to haunt us, from the invention of coins in Biblical times (when money was created to rescue the community good, not for self gain), through its hypnotic appeal in our money-obsessed era. This is a remarkable book that combines myth and psychology, the poetry of the Sufis and the wisdom of King Solomon, along with Jacob Needleman's searching of his own soul and his culture to explain how money can become a unique means of self-knowledge. As part of the Currency paperback line, it includes a "User's Guide" an introduction and discussion guide created for the paperback by the author -- to help readers make practical use of the book's ideas.

About this title

About the Author:

Jacob Needleman is professor of philosophy at San Francisco State University. He is the author of many bestselling books, including, most recently, A Little Book on Love.

From AudioFile:

In this philosophical discussion of the meaning of money in one's life, Needleman looks at all aspects of money and how it affects people. From philosophical and religious texts, as well as real-life dilemmas, he draws examples of what money is and how it has changed its place in society. Needleman presents his subject in an informal manner, in a mixture of lecture and didactic stories that are similar to the works of Joseph Campbell. This style allows listeners to ponder their own feelings about money and life while following well-thought-out, if meandering, suppositions. M.B.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0385262426
• ISBN 13: 9780385262422
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352