Luxury Beliefs

Introduction

Luxury beliefs are ideas and opinions that confer status on the upper class while often inflicting costs on the lower classes.
Claim: Luxury beliefs have replaced luxury goods as a means of social distinction.
Developed this framework through personal experience: grew up in foster homes, joined the military, attended Yale on the GI Bill.
Observed class divides not just economically, but socially and culturally.

Émile Durkheim’s insight: “The more one has, the more one wants.”
Two studies (2019, 2020) confirm that upper-class individuals have the strongest desire for wealth and status.
Household income in childhood predicts desire for status in adulthood.
Key finding: The more wealth and status people have, the more they desire.
The drive for status does not dissipate upon reaching the top but often intensifies.

Luxury beliefs vs. luxury goods: Previously, status was displayed via material possessions; today, it’s displayed via beliefs.
Adam Smith (1759): Elites adopt beliefs they do not truly believe in to gain social approval.
Thorstein Veblen (1899): Concept of “conspicuous consumption.” Luxury goods signal wealth because they are expensive and impractical.
Pierre Bourdieu (1979): Concept of “cultural capital” – elites distinguish themselves through tastes, knowledge, and behaviors.
Amotz Zahavi (1975): Costly signaling theory – only the strongest can afford expensive displays.
Luxury beliefs are costly signals that function similarly to fashion.

Sumptuary Laws: Laws that restricted lower classes from displaying wealth (e.g., Samurai restricting merchants from wearing silk).
Spices in Europe: Once widely available, elites abandoned their use.
Dueling: Once exclusive to aristocrats, abandoned when it became widespread.
Luxury beliefs follow a similar pattern: Once adopted widely, elites move on to new beliefs.

Example: Defund the Police
Affluent groups were most supportive.
Poor communities bear the cost of rising crime.
Wealthy people can afford private security, flee cities, or live in low-crime areas.
Crime victimization statistics
The poorest are disproportionately affected by violent crime.
1% of the population commits 63% of violent crime.
Elite hypocrisy
Affluent groups can afford protection while advocating policies that harm lower-income communities.

Language as status
Elite-exclusive vocabulary (e.g., “cisgender,” “cultural appropriation,” “unhoused”).
Terms like “justice-involved person” replace “criminal.”
Paul Fussell (1983): Upper classes use distinct language to differentiate themselves.
Scott Galloway (2020): Universities are now luxury brands.
Elite status signals require cultural fluency, which takes time to acquire.

Endowment effect (behavioral economics): People overvalue beliefs once they adopt them.
Obstinacy as a signal of reliability: People who refuse to change their beliefs are seen as more trustworthy.
Black Sheep Effect
In-group members are punished more harshly than out-group members if found guilty.
Betrayal of the group is seen as worse than never being part of it.
Preventing deception: Being cautious about changing beliefs helps prevent being duped.

The Social Brain Hypothesis
Intelligence evolved to navigate social relationships, not necessarily to seek truth.
Keith Stanovich: Intelligent people are less aware that their beliefs are shaped by their social groups.
Higher intelligence may make people more susceptible to high-status dogmas.
Fear of reputational loss
Highly educated individuals are more likely to self-censor.
More fearful of job loss due to political views.
Historical examples
Nazi Germany: Educated elites were the most likely to conform to prevailing ideology.
Soviet Union: University graduates were the strongest supporters of communism.

Peter Turchin’s theory: Social instability arises from elite overproduction.
More aspiring elites than available elite positions → internal conflict.
Cancel culture as a form of intra-elite competition
Attacking rivals frees up elite positions.
New ideological trends introduced to oust competitors.
Status-seekers and political extremism
Study: People high in status-seeking are more likely to support political violence.
Social media outrage as a status-seeking strategy.

Luxury beliefs function as costly signals, conferring status at the expense of the less privileged.
Intelligence and education do not necessarily protect against ideological conformity.
Elite conflict often fuels cultural shifts.
Understanding these dynamics can help resist manipulation and maintain independent thinking.