What role should wealth play in a good life? Can money contribute to happiness, or can the pursuit of riches lead us further from it?
Dr. Mary Hirschfeld, John T. Ryan Jr. Associate Professor of Theology and Business Ethics at the University of Notre Dame, will explore these questions during Holy Cross College’s next Mind & Heart Lecture Series event on Monday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. in Driscoll Auditorium.
Her lecture, “Wealth Is a Good. But What Kind of Good Is It?”, will examine the relationship between money, happiness, and human flourishing, challenging audiences to consider what makes wealth valuable and how it can serve a meaningful life.
“Who doesn’t want to be rich? But why do we want to be rich?” Hirschfeld asks in her lecture description. “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 buys us futility, anxiety, and depression.”
Hirschfeld brings a distinctive perspective to the discussion, drawing on her background in both economics and moral theology. Her scholarship explores the intersection of theology and economics through the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, with particular attention to economic inequality, finance, and the common good.
She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in moral theology from the University of Notre Dame. She is also the author of Aquinas and the Market: Toward a Humane Economy (Harvard University Press, 2018).
The November 9 lecture will take place at 7 p.m. in Driscoll Auditorium on the Holy Cross College campus.