An Inquiry into the Mottainai Ethics on Consumption

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss about the ethics on consumption to think of what the wasteful consumption means, mainly referring to the concept of "mottainaF in Japanese. This word is introduced to the world by Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Prize winner. This paper argues that the mottainai ethics on consumption was originally based on one's modesty and subjective ideals respecting the virtues of thrift, moderation and self-realization. This paper points out that the recent trend in encouraging the quantification of the objective value of all the goods so that one may not pay more than the value we consume - the so-called "financialization" - has changed the criteria for mottainai unwisely. They have replaced themselves (modesty) with the market price as the criteria for judging whether each consumption can be construed as mottainai. Insightful perspectives of Thorstein Veblen, Jon Elster and Yasuo Yuasa on consumption are reviewed.