Michael Hudson: Plato, Aristophanes and Aristotle on Money-Lust, 399-380 BC
Yves here. Michael Hudson kindly provided us with an advanced draft of this chapter from his upcoming book, since readers seemed particularly interested in the views of the Greeks on money, commerce, and power. Get a cup of coffee. This post is meaty if you plan to consume it in one sitting. Delphi’s warning that lust for monetary silver ( philarguria) was the only thing that could destroy Sparta was echoed by Plato, Socrates and other philosophers accusing wealth addiction of leading to greedy and hubristic behavior that impoverished society at large. Creditors were singled out for reducin...
Source: nakedcapitalism.com