Source edition
Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol. IΙI. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1891.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This philosophical treatise exposes the evils of an excessive attachment to wealth (greed) and explores where true human fulfillment lies. Utilizing various anecdotes of historical figures and vivid metaphors, the author sharply analyzes the nature of wealth. At the outset, it is argued that wealth, far from satisfying human desires, only breeds a craving for unnecessary luxury and leads people to ruin; thus, the true cure is not the accumulation of riches but the purification of the soul. In the middle section, the author harshly criticizes the "poverty of the mind" seen in misers who merely hoard wealth without enjoying it, depicting the tragedy of how this distorted value system destroys family relationships. Ultimately, the work concludes that the display of wealth is mere vanity dependent on the eyes of others, whereas that which truly and permanently gladdens the soul is not external riches but a life guided by moderation and virtue.