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Money Beauty Stewardship
Dur 1:31
Celeste Harvey is associate professor of philosophy at College of Saint Mary in Omaha, where she teaches and writes on applied and normative ethics, social and political philosophy, and luxury. Her work has focused on virtue, the concerns of women, and business and the common good. Much of her recent scholarship centers on the Economy of Communion.
Here she talks about creating and stewarding the natural beauty of old homes and the role that plays in providing beautiful places for everyone to live.
- Celeste describes their rental business as an attempt to provide beautiful housing for tenants, often spending more to maintain historical integrity, even if it won't reap higher rents. Is that the way most landlords think?
- Celeste says that it is important to them to maintain the historical beauty of the houses they fix up, not to simply use the most affordable fix up materials which would probably be more cost-efficient, but would not respect the historical integrity of the buildings they are repairing. Does this approach highligh an ethical component to property maintenance decisions (how they should be done)?
- Have you experienced or witnessed property 'rehabs' which fundamentally altered the historical integrity of a building which seemed either tacky or sad?
- How do you make decisions when it comes to money, beauty and stewardship? Do you do whatever costs the least, or do you think it is important to spend more to preserve beauty and give proper stewardship? Can you think of a decision you made which revealed your values on this?