#303: The Philosphy of Frugality

The Art of Manliness

Society & Culture, Education, Philosophy

4.7 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 11 May 2017

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today on the show, I talk to Emrys Westacott, philosophy professor and author of "The Wisdom of Frugality," about the philosophical history of penny pinching. We begin our conversation discussing what philosophers mean by frugality and the various philosophical schools that gave frugality primacy. We then go on to summarize the arguments as to why frugality makes people wiser and happier, the counter-arguments to frugality as a virtue, why the ideal of frugality changes based on circumstances, and why living frugally is harder to do today than in times past. This show provides a nuanced look at a much-praised virtue and will leave you mulling over how, why, and to what extent to strive for it in your own life.

Transcript

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0:00.0	[♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪
0:15.0	Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness Podcast.
0:18.7	When most people think of Fregality, they think of it primarily a way to reduce spending
0:22.2	so they can do things like payoff dead or say for a goal like retirement or a down payment
0:26.0	on a home.
0:27.0	Even as a personal finance tactic with purely utilitarian ends, but for philosophers and
0:31.3	theologians going back all the way to Ancient Greece, Fregality was seen as an essential
0:35.2	virtue in order to develop wisdom and true happiness.
0:37.8	Today on the show, I talk to Emre's Westocot, the author of the book The Wisdom of Fregality,
0:42.5	about the philosophical history of penny-pinching.
0:44.5	We begin our conversation discussing what philosophers mean by Fregality in the various
0:47.9	philosophical schools that it gave Fregality.
0:50.2	Premacy, we then go to summarize the arguments as to why Fregality makes people wiser and
0:54.5	happier.
0:55.5	The counter-argument to Fregality as a virtue and why the ideal of Fregality changes based
0:59.3	on circumstances and why living frugally is harder to do today than in times past.
1:04.1	This show provides a nuanced look at a much praised virtue and will leave you mulling
1:07.3	over how, why and what extent to strive for it in your own life.
1:10.9	After the show is over, check out the show notes at a-w-m-dot-i-s-slash-fruble.
1:14.4	[♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪
1:19.2	Emre's Westocot, welcome to the show.
1:21.6	And we've got it here.
	...

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