Frugality Rebalancing Material and Spiritual Values in Economic Life

This book examines frugality as an ideal and an ‘art de vivre’ which implies a low level of material consumption and a simple lifestyle, to open the mind for spiritual goods as inner freedom, social peace and justice or the quest for God or ‘ultimate reality’. By rational choice we can develop a more frugal and sufficient way of life, but material temptations can always overwrite our ecological, social and ethical considerations. But the spiritual case for frugality is strong enough. Spiritually based frugal practices may lead to rational outcomes such as reducing ecological destruction, social disintegration and the exploitation of future generations.

The Editors: Luk Bouckaert is professor emeritus of ethics at the Catholic University of Leuven. He is founder and director of the SPES Academy and president of the European SPES Forum (SPES being an acronym for SPirituality in Economics and Society).
Hendrick Opdebeeck is professor of philosophy and economics at the University of Antwerp where he is affiliated to the Centre for Ethics. In 2004 together with Luk Bouckaert he founded the SPES Academy.
Laszlo Zsolnai is professor and director of the Business Ethics Center at the Corvinus University of Budapest. He is chairman of the Business Ethics Inter-faculty Group of the Community of European Management Schools (CEMS).