Excess of Desire

on Tower of Babel and Society

The idea of abundance has always been a fascinating concept for humanity. Maybe you are familiar with the antique motif of the ‘Horn of Plenty’ or Cornucopia. The Latin words ‘cornu’ and ‘copia’ meaning horn and abundance, carry the significance of wealth and nourishment. Cornucopia has been depicted in art as a horn filled with fresh fruits and other delicacies.

For example, Rubens’s painting of the Roman Goddess of Abundance, Abundantia, depicts an enchanting view of prosperity and richness as she holds a cornucopia filled with autumn’s sweet fruits. If you take a closer look, you might notice the bag of golden coins under her foot, representing wealth and material possessions.

While the idea of plenty evokes prosperity and richness, the concept can also turn into something darker: excess. And unfortunately, excess is a broad, powerful concept in understanding the world and human thought.

The Tower of Babel

Why did the Tower of Babel collapse?

The myth is described in the book of Genesis, the Old Testament.

Seeing how the tower rises to the sky, God becomes jealous of humans’ capacity and power. He decided to make the proud Babylonians speak different languages so that they could no longer work together. The Tower of Babel was designed to reach the heavens and provide wealth and power to Babylon.

In the end, the mighty tower collapsed because the builders couldn’t understand each other anymore. With their departure, different languages spread all around the world. The biblical myth portrays an angry God trying to diminish humans’ ambition for wealth and power.

6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Genesis 11, English Standard Version [1]

One might understand that, from a religious point of view, aiming for wealth and social status is a form of excess that enrages the Gods.

But besides myth, how did desire shape the modern society?

Excess of Desire

The Babylonians challenged the authority of God through architecture. They dreamed of wealth, immortality, and power. Now, Babylon and its great buildings are a symbol of decadence and foolishness, as James Crawford points out in ‘Fallen Glory: the Lives and Deaths of the World’s Greatest Lost Buildings [2]’.

What did humankind learn from the Biblical tale?

Not much.

The drive to acquire

According to Harvard Business School professors P.R. Lawrence and N. Nohria, authors of Driven: How Human Nature Shapes our Choices, the drive to acquire is one of the 4 core human desires that influence our behavior.

The desire to acquire refers to material possessions as well as social status, which is, in one way or another, mirrored in the stuff we own.

My definition of a successful person is having a happy family and fresh tomatoes in the garden but, for my neighbor, I might look like a total loser.

So even though I have everything I need, I still feel the urge to acquire. I want to look happy and wealthy in the eyes of others, as a means of validation. And I am pretty sure I am not the only person feeling this way.

This makes me suffer from the spirit of excess that still drives the world today.

The spirit of excess

The spirit of excess is portrayed in Georges Bataille’s philosophy.

The French thinker points out in the essay ‘The Notion of Expenditure` [3] that social status is displayed when fortune is ‘partially sacrificed in unproductive social expenditures such as festivals, spectacles and games’ [4], thus when expenditure becomes visible to others.

Further, he talks about a new kind of wealth class, the modern bourgeoisie:

The modern bourgeoisie […] has distinguished itself from the aristocracy through the fact that it has consented only to spend for itself, and within itself- […] by hiding its expenditures as much as possible from the eyes of the other classes. Georges Bataille in The Notion of Expenditure [5]

In today’s society, Bataille’s philosophy on wealth and ‘class struggle’ remains highly relevant. Some people inundate our screens with pictures of their brand-new cars and Hermes bags. For them, showcasing a high social status becomes a way of living, and they eventually accomplish the life they promote.

On the other hand, the oligarchs remain concealed behind closed doors. While we may know about their super yachts and the concerning carbon footprint they produce, what oligarchs really do remains hidden from the public eye.

In the end, the display of wealth and the power that comes with it, causes what Bataille calls the ‘class struggle’.

The struggle to mimic the lifestyle of the rich, while expenditure remains under the ethical question mark.

The leisure class

Excess of desire created what Thorstein Veblen describes as ‘leisure class’ in ‘Conspicuous Consumption: Unproductive Consumption of Goods is Honourable’ [6] and ‘The Theory of the Leisure Class’.

For Veblen, leisure is a ‘non-productive consumption of time’ [7], which stands in contrast to labor, the source of production. His theory underlines the role of women as a man’s ‘cattle’ and object of display, the wasteful nature of festive gatherings that serve to assert one’s superiority over others, and the futility of sports, among other things.

The leisure class stands at the head of the social structure in point of reputability; and its manner of life and its standards of worth therefore afford the norm of reputability for the community. [8]

Thorstein Veblen in Conspicuous Consumption:Unproductive Consumption of Goods is Honourable

Veblen strongly criticizes the leisure class, highlighting their lack of contribution to society. He points out their indulgence in meaningless consumption and activities, that produce nothing of value, such as hunting, animal races, and sumptuous social gatherings.

This pursuit of wealth is limited to a specific social stratum, relying entirely on the labor of the working class.

Are we doomed by the excess of desire?

Human is defined by excess. [9]

Ion Vianu in ‘Frumusețea va mântui lumea și alte eseuri’

In Latin, ‘animal excessivum’ translates as the animal of excess. This phrase serves as the title of the first essay in Ion Vianu’s collection, ‘Beauty will redeem the world and other essays’.

According to the author, excess is deeply ingrained in human nature, as is desire. While animals instinctively know when to stop pursuing their needs, humans persist in their pursuit of pleasure and ambition [10].

The story of Lucifer’s downfall in the Bible represents, probably, the extreme manifestation of excessive desire. And it did, indeed, doom him to an eternity of Hell. However, we do not (yet) aspire to become gods over the universe, because we lack the power.

But we can acknowledge our human condition and consciously act upon our desires. Somehow, we need to understand that desires are projected into the future and never fully met. By understanding the origins and consequences of excess, we can navigate the world with awareness.

Desire is, in essence, unusable. Desire escapes the relaxation produced by satisfying the need, it projects itself into the future, by plunging into the abyss. [11]

Ion Vianu in ‘Frumusețea va mântui lumea și alte eseuri’

Final thoughts

Excess and desire are two words that can perfectly sum up a life of leisure.

But is a life of leisure meaningful? The topic I could barely touch in this piece is extremely wide and is not going to leave the philosophical scene any time soon.

Is it relevant for me as an architect?

Sure. I might take part in the excess of architecture, or, architecture of excess. I might help the proliferation of non-spaces, a product of the excess of space, as Marc Augé puts it.

I might contribute to the excess of authority, excess of zeal, excess of shapes, and any other excess you can think of.

And excess usually comes from desire.

The desire to have.

References and Citations:

[1] https://www.bible.com/bible/97/GEN.11.MSG

[2]Crawford, James. (2016).Fallen Glory: The Lives and Deaths of the World’s Greatest Lost Buildings. Old Street Publishing, England. p.21

[3]Bataille. Georges. (2008) Visions of Excess: Selected Writings 1927–1939. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, USA.

Accessed from: https://cominsitu.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/visions-of-excess-selected-writings-1927-1939-by-georges-bataille-z-lib.org_-1.pdf

[4]Ibid., 123

[5]Ibid., 124

[6]Veblen.Thorstein. (2005) Conspicuous Consumption: Unproductive Consumption of Goods is Honourable. Penguin Group. England.

[7] Ibid., 21

[8] Ibid., 57–58

[9] Vianu.Ion. (2021). Frumusețea va mântui lumea și alte eseuri.Polirom. Iași. p.9. (translated from Romanian)

[10] Ibid., p.10

[11] Ibid., p. 11 (translated from Romanian)

I am an architect passionate about design, heritage, and entrepreneurship. I run the architecture office Kule Arhitectura, and I am currently enrolled in a Master’s Degree in Heritage Conservation. I am happy to share my thoughts and experiences with the world and learn from fellow writers on Medium!