MCViewPoint

Opinion from a Libertarian ViewPoint

Envy

Posted by M. C. on August 7, 2025

From Wiki and Thomas Sowell

“According to St. Thomas Aquinas, the struggle aroused by envy has three stages:

  1. During the first stage, the envious person attempts to lower another person’s reputation
  2. In the middle stage, the envious person receives either “joy at another’s misfortune” (if he succeeds in defaming the other person) or “grief at another’s prosperity” (if he fails)
  3. the third stage is hatred because “sorrow causes hatred”[38]

Bertrand Russell said that envy was one of the most potent causes of unhappiness, bringing sorrow to committers of envy, while giving them the urge to inflict pain upon others.[39]

That guy from 800 years ago was spot on.

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