How excessive wealth harms us – do we need an upper limit for personal wealth?

A discussion with Ingrid Robeyns, Marlene Engelhorn and Barbara Blaha.

Excessive wealth damages society: it undermines political equality and other democratic values. It is also incompatible with environmental sustainability, the super-rich emit a disproportionate amount of greenhouse gases. Furthermore, excess wealth is wasteful. The money that the super-rich spend on luxury goods could be better spent on social problems – for climate protection or for those who have urgent needs to be met.
Another point is that excess wealth is not good for the super-rich themselves. It works like an addiction, you always want more money, and it distances you from society. The last, most fundamental point is: nobody deserves to be super rich.

The discussion was organized by FAKTory and Momentum-Institut and was held on June 14, 2024 in FAKTory.