What Money Cant Buy The Moral Limits of Markets essay

What Money Cant Buy The Moral Limits of Markets essay What Money Cant Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets essay What Money Cant Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets essayThe development of the contemporary society tends to the increasing impact of consumerism on social relations, culture and values of people. In such a situation, the development of the contemporary society leads to the devaluation of basic moral values and to dehumanization of interpersonal relations, when consumerist and commercial relations become determinant in social relations. In this regard, it is possible to refer to the book What Money Cant Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets by Michael J. Sandel, where the author explores the development of the contemporary society and increasing impact of commercial relations in all spheres of social life. The author raises an important problem of the moral development and ethics of the society, where everything is for sale. Michael J. Sandel questions how far people can go in their strife for selling and buy everything. He raises a bunch of ethical dilemmas with no definite answer to respo nd. In such a way, he attempts to question basic ethical issues, which people tend to ignore in their everyday life or take them for granted.In fact, What Money Cant Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets focuses on the rise of the contemporary society where moral values influence consistently social relations are vulnerable to consistent changes due to the shift of moral values and norms. Sandel insists that commercialization has become the mainstream trend in the development of the contemporary society. In this regard, it is hardly possible to disagree with the author since the contemporary society has started to shift to the overwhelming commercialization since the time of the industrial revolution, while by the end of the 20th century the commercialization of the contemporary culture and society has reached unparalleled level. The contemporary society may be viewed as a sheer consumerist society, where everything is for sale, as Sandel states. At the same time, the book does not just show off that everything is on sale. Instead the author uses the personal appeal to readers asking them what else money cannot buy today and what people are not ready to sell so far. In such a way, the author encourages the audience to start thinking of really important issues and the role of money in their life. Sandel does not attempt to impose his opinion on the audience. Instead, he helps the audience to come to the point, when the uselessness of the contemporary consumerist culture and commercialization of social relations become obvious.Sandel is definitely right, when he uncovers vices of the contemporary consumerist culture. People turn into mere consumers making the cult of consumption and consumerism becomes the only purpose of their life. the excessive consumption leads to the destructive impact on the society. However, Sandel focuses his attention on moral issues only. At the same time, the author pays little, if any attention to the impact of the overwhelming commercial ization of the society on the environment. However, the negative impact of consumerism and commercialization of the contemporary society on the natural environment is obvious. Human activities oriented on consumption and commerce lead to the destruction of their natural environment, extinction of many species, decrease of biodiversity, global climate change. All these changes are irrevocable and have a destructive impact not only on human life but also on the life on the entire planet. However, Sandel does not take these issues into account that apparently weakens his argument because the appeal to moral issues only may be insufficient for people who are accustomed to live in the consumerist society. The revelation of the destructive impact of commercialization and consumerism on the natural environment would reveal that people face the real threat of the extinction just like other species inhabiting the planet and this argument could be stronger, if the author attempts to persuade the audience that people should change their values and shift from commerce and sales to spirituality and morality.In such a situation, the high risk of the devaluation of basic ethical and moral norms arises because consumerism and commerce interferes in all spheres of human life. Even such would-be sacred concepts as family have become subjects to commerce and sale. For instance, today the divorce rate is exorbitantly high, while many divorces, if not all, involve financial issues to the extent that   everything and everyone, including children, become subjects to trade during the divorce process to the extent that one parents have to give in some financial benefits to have larger opportunities to communicate with children.In this regard, Sandel’s argument that commerce and the desire to trade everything has penetrated deeply into the consciousness of people seems to be absolutely reasonable and right. The author shows that such commercialization leads to the loss of mora lity and devaluation of basic ethical norms and rules.At the same time, the author warns against such commercialization of the contemporary society revealing possible negative effects of the rise of the immoral society or the society where the commerce is the milestone of moral values and norms and the determinant factor influencing interpersonal and social relations. In fact, Sandel’s argument eventually leads readers to the conclusion that the excessive commercialization has already led to the loss of spirituality, while consumerism and materialism dominate over the contemporary culture.Being aware of disastrous effects of the further commercialization of the society, where everything is on sale, Sandle attempts to build up the strategy of resistance to such a trend in the development of the contemporary culture and society. In this regard, the main argument of Sandel in defense of non-commercially, spiritually-grounded view is the deep-rooted belief in universal, humanisti c values. The author apparently wants to say that there are issues which cannot stand commercial relations.Moreover, Sandel argues that people often provoke commercialization of their interpersonal relations and bring in commerce in their relations, when the commerce is absolutely unnecessary. For instance, it is possible to refer to the case of parents paying their children for good grades instead of communicating with them and explaining them what they are actually learning for. In such a situation, the expectation of the financial reward becomes the major driver for children, whereas learning itself is not the goal but the tool to get some extra money or some material reward from their parents.However, even though Sandel apparently rejects the commercialization of the contemporary culture and social relations but still he fails to provide clear and strong argument and recommendations on how people can change their life. Instead of answering the question what people should do to c hange their world for better and return to spirituality and moral values instead of the irresistible strife for sale and commercial relations, he just appeals to the public to start the debate over issues he raises in his book. In other words, he just wants people to start thinking of the role of money and its impact on social relations, moral values and norms of the contemporary society.Nevertheless, the book What Money Cant Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets written by Sandel is still very important in regard to the possible change of the contemporary culture and return to moral values and norms. In such a way, the author attempts to raise the public debate over the development of the contemporary society which is essential in the time when consumerism has become the determinant trend in the development of the contemporary society. Today, people are unaware of the importance of basic humanistic values and, more important, they fail to understand the vanity of the pursuit of wealth a nd commodities in terms of the contemporary consumerist culture.Thus, Sandel’s What Money Cant Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets reveal the mainstream trend of the contemporary society oriented on the consumption. The trend to commercialization of interpersonal relations lead to dehumanization and the author attempts to make the audience aware of the negative impact of commercialization on human life and social relations. However, the author does not offer the clear way out. Instead, he just suggests starting the public debate over the problem of commercialization and consumerism of the contemporary society.