Kan lyxkonsumtion försvaras? Ludwig von Mises ansåg det. I Liberalism skriver han:

To form a correct conception of the social significance of luxury consumption, one must first of all realize that the concept of luxury is an altogether relative one. Luxury consists in a way of living that stands in sharp contrast to that of the great mass of one’s contemporaries. … The luxury of today is the necessity of tomorrow. Every advance first comes into being as the luxury of a few rich people, only to become, after a time, the indispensable necessity taken for granted by everyone. Luxury consumption provides industry with the stimulus to discover and introduce new things. It is one of the dynamic factors in our economy. To it we owe the progressive innovations by which the standard of living of all strata of the population has been gradually raised.

Detta skulle också kunna utgöra ett argument, prima facie, mot långt driven utjämning av förmögenheter och inkomster.

Se även inlägget ”Att få det bättre än andra”.