Leituras de Trabalho & Lazer

"The roots of the concept of human development can often be traced to early periods in human history and can be found in many cultures and religions. Aristotle wrote that "wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking, for it is merely useful and for the sake of something else". A similar strain was reflected in the writings of the early founders of quantitative economics (William Petty, Gregory King, François Quesnay, Antoine Lavoisier and Joseph Lagrange) and in the worksof the pioneers of political economy (Adam Smith, Robert Malthus, Karl Marx and John Stuart Mill)."

"Wealth is important for human life. But to concentrate on it exclusively is wrong for two reasons.

First, accumulating wealth is not necessary for the fulfilment of some important human choices. In fact, individuals and societies make many choices that require no wealth at all. A society does not have to be rich to be able to afford democracy. A family does not have to be wealthy to respect the rights of each member. A nation does not have to be affluent to treat women and men equally. valuable social and cultural traditions can be - and are - maintained at all levels of income. The richness of a culture can be largely independent of the people's wealth.

Second, human choices extend far beyond economic well-being. Human beings may want to be wealthy. But they may also want to enjoy long and healthy lives, drink deep at the foutain of knowledge, participate freely in the life of their community, breathe fresh air and enjoy the simple pleasures of life in a clean physical environment and value the peace of mind that comes from security in their homes, in theis jobs and in their society.

National wealth might expand people's choices. But it might not. The use that nations make of their wealth, not the wealth itself, is decisive. And unless societies recognize that their real wealth is their people, an excessive obsession with the creation of material wealth can obscure the ultimate objective of enriching human lives."

In: PNUD, Relatório do Desenvolvimento Humano de 1994, Capítulo 1.

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