I've always been intrigued with the concept of "wealth". It leaves much room for interpretation, and would mean entirely different things throughout history and in different societies today. The same goes for "needs".

Marx, in the very first sentence of Capital, provides what I feel to be an accurate description of wealth - through the lens of capitalism: "The wealth of societies in which the capitalist mode of production prevails appears as in 'immense collection of commodities'..."

He defines a 'commodity' as an external object, "which through its qualities satisfies human needs of whatever kind...the nature of these needs, whether they arise, for example, from the stomach, or the imagination, makes no difference." The key, from my view, is the word 'external' - which should come as no surprise. But should this be the definition of 'wealth'?

I'm majoring in Sustainable Development, the official definition being: "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Is the pursuit of wealth, in the sense of accumulating external objects, sustainable? Do our pursuits rob future generations?