Materialism is the bet way to pursue happiness

Before I start my rebuttal, I would like to state that almost everything my opponent has stated is true to an extent. The main points my rebuttal will highlight the alternative to materialism. The resolution states "Materialism is the best way to pursue happiness". I would like to add that just because a philosophy might have its problems does not mean that it isn't the best way to pursue happiness. There are other philosophies that the individuals my opponent listed could have tried out, and failed to receive any happiness. I would first like to add evidence of countries that are spiritually inclined, and believe that spiritualism is the best way to achieve happiness. There are 151 countries analyzed in this research 1. Brazil=21th happiest country in the world. 2. Peru-24th happiest country in the world. 3. Kenya-98th happiest country in the world. 4. Iraq-36th happiest country in the world. 5. Romania-75th happiest country in the world. 6. Macedonia- 140th happiest country in the world. 7. Fiji-Unkown 8. Armenia- 121st happiest country in the world. 9. Nigeria- 103rd happiest country in the world. 10. Ghana-Unknown ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, I will give the top ten materialistic countries, and their happiness. 1. Denmark- 1st happiest country. 2. Switzerland-2nd happiest country. 3. Iceland- 3rd happiest country 4. Norway. 4th happiest country. 5. Finland- 5th happiest country. 6. Canada- 6th happiest country. 7. Netherlands-8th happiest country. 8. Sweden- 10th happiest country. 9. United States- 13th happiest country. 10. Germany- 16th happiest country. One can judge the evidence here, and clearly see that materialistic countries outperform spiritual countries. Rebuttal: "Happiness is not bound by materialism and has so many factors that determine your happiness, Some common factors are: 1. Good physical and mental health. 2. Good personal and intimate relationships, such as those of marriage, the family, and friendships. 3. The faculty for perceiving beauty in art and nature. 4. Reasonable standards of living and satisfactory work. 5. A philosophic or religious point of view capable of coping successfully with the vicissitudes of life. " All of these standards are perfectly compatible with materialism. My opponent does not provide any evidence that supports the idea of materialism badly effecting these values. Therefore, these claims should be deemed as null --------------------------------------------------------- "At the end of the day all I want is food, shelter, family and PEACE of MIND. Without these I won't be happy. " Will spiritual values insure this, or a motivation to acquire physical benefits. Food, shelter, and family are usually all insured by the drive of making money. This claim does not attack materialism. "Spiritualism may bring happiness to some but may not be for some. Depends from person to person. " It depends from person to person. I agree, but than I have to ask my opponent this question. Why is it that materialism clicks more with the common man, than spiritualism. Look at the statistics I provided on my case. A great majority of people do activities that are inherently materialistic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Now let's say you have a good house, good car, good money but NO FRIENDS to hangout with, TOO MUCH WORK PRESSURE, YOU ARE DIVORCED, EVENTUALLY U WILL LOSE PEACE OF MIND, THEN LOSE THE JOB. " My opponent cites no evidence claiming that materialism would cause this. I cannot take any of these claims seriously. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I want to offer my opponent these questions. -Why is it that the most materialistic countries are the most happy? -Why is it that usually more spiritual countries are more impoverished? -Why is it that our American society is more inclined to materialism, and not spiritualism? -Why is it that more than 80% of the richest people in the world are not inclined to spiritual values? -What benefits does spiritualism have that outweigh materialism? -Why is it that the average individual is able to click with materialism more than spiritualism in the western world? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Concluding statements: My opponent cannot deny that throughout human history; we have proven to be very ambitious people. It is in our DNA to want more, and crave more. When a human acquires what they wanted; it is scientifically proven that domain in the brain is released causing positive feelings to arrive. It makes sense that the countries that were built off of a materialistic foundation are more happier than the spiritual countries that base their governments off of spiritual values. America, Britain, Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland all receive benefits that the people in spiritual countries will never receive. I ask my opponent this final question. Would you rather live in a spiritual country like Ghana, or live in a western country with advanced technology that the people in Ghana cannot even comprehend. ------------------------------ Sources: . http://www.happyplanetindex.org... . http://www.happyplanetindex.org... . http://www.happyplanetindex.org... . http://www.happyplanetindex.org... . http://www.happyplanetindex.org... . https://www.armradio.am... . http://www.thecountriesof.com...