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[German Version] I. Terminology The term wealth belongs to the semantic field that includes kingdom, empire, violence, dominion, and glory. In that context it suggests first an abundance of earthly goods that brings power, then abundance or profusion of almost anything. A distinction must be made between an economic sense of wealth and a broader figurative sense. In its economic sense it means property, possessions, the sum of available goods and values (Value/Values) that substantially exceeds what is considered necessary to satisfy needs. In a broader sense it goes beyond economic needs, referring to treasures of the mind and spirit, of language, of human relationships, a contribution to and result of a life well lived. This broader sense of the term was already considered in antiquity by Aristotle, who reflected on wealth from the perspective of the question of the absolute end of human life. He identified it as a moral and rational life, successfully lived overall. Wealth is necessary for such a life, but it appears in two forms: one has to do with art of “housekeeping” (economics), the other with the art of money-making (chrematistics). Housekeeping involves what Aristotle calls “true wealth.” It finds its limit in the end of production, human individuals themselves. True wealth is quantitatively limited wealth. Chrematistics threatens to…

[English Version] I. Zum BegriffDer Begriff R. entstammt dem Wortfeld: Reich, Imperium, Gewalt, Herrschaft, Herrlichkeit. Von daher hat er die Bedeutung der Fülle der irdischen Güter (Gut), die solche Macht verleiht, sodann auch Fülle, Überfluß an etwas überhaupt. Man muß unterscheiden zw. einem allg. ökonomischen Sinn und einem weiten, übertragenen Sinn von R. Allg. meint er Besitz, Habe, die Summe verfügbarer Güter und Werte, die den zur Befriedigung der Bedürfnisse notwendig erachteten Bedarf wesentlich übersteigt. In weite…