Wealth Is Good. But What Kind of Good Is It?

About this event

The Wheaton College Department of Philosophy presents the next event in our 2026-27 Philosophy Speaker Series. Dr. Mary Hirschfeld, John T. Ryan Jr. Associate Professor of Theology and Business Ethics at the University of Notre Dame, will give a lecture titled “Wealth Is Good. But What Kind of Good Is It?" on Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 PM.

Hirschfeld writes, "Who doesn't want to be rich? But why do we want to be rich? It may be true that you cannot buy happiness, but thinking about the positive role wealth can play in a good life might help us avoid the very real danger that money may buy us futility, anxiety, and depression."

Dr. Hirschfeld works on the boundaries between theology and economics using an approach rooted in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. She has written on economic inequality, the technocratic paradigm, the financial crisis and the common good. Her book Aquinas and the Market: Toward a Humane Economy was published by Harvard University Press in 2018.

This event is free and open to the public and will take place in Blanchard Hall Room 339, located at 501 College Avenue in Wheaton. For more information, contact Amy Park at 630.752.5040 or philosophy@wheaton.edu .