"The Affluent Society" by John Kenneth Galbraith

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"On the first page of his 1958 bestseller, The Affluent Society, John Kenneth Galbraith wrote that "wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" (1). What he tried to point out was that, although getting gain had been a primary pursuit of Americans long before 1958, endless increases in production--even with an increasing ability to take a guiding hand in manufacturing demand--had become the key to contemporary affluence. And, while this had been producing ever-greater gain for some, it was also engendering severe want and other social problems at a correspondingly rapid rate. Those whose primary goal is the getting of gain had been proceeding without regard for the way this shaped society. And, wrapped up in increasing gain, these Americans seemed incapable of appreciating that want in others would eventually reach critical mass and prove to work..."

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