150 years ago life was short and luxuries scarce. By comparison ours is a largely affluent society and most have plenty. Working class Victorian women usually had one dress. Today, we have so many clothes that on average 77% of our wardrobe is not worn in any one year and half are never worn. Yet many of us remain unsatisfied and spend our lives feeling unfulfilled and chasing ever more.
Is discontent with our circumstances both universal and natural, making never being satisfied an inescapable part of being human and a vital part of our success? Or is our dissatisfaction a form of greed encouraged by a relentlessly material culture that is not good for our own well being or the planet - and should we as a result engage in a radical overhaul in our goals and values?
Economist and author of The Value of Everything Mariana Mazzucato, Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs Mark Littlewood and author of Plunder of The Commons Guy Standing clash over our wants and needs.
In association with The Observer