Pecuniary Emulation Summary and Analysis

When ownership became a part of the community, so did the leisure class. Both developed from the same set of economic forces. A person who doesn't work out of neglect is not a member of the leisure class. The earliest form of ownership was of women, and this began in the lower barbarian stages of culture. Men took their enemy's women and used them as trophies and evidence of their exploits.

The beginning of private ownership led to the struggle for the possession of goods. As technology progresses, man has time for more than just activities devoted to subsistence. The possession and consumption of goods brought with it some physical comforts. This means that accumulation of goods is desirable. Emulation is the basic motive for ownership since wealth is honorable. The desire to own property is an incentive to...