George Santayana's "Materialism and Idealism in American Life" is a short essay dealing with the different types of materialism in an American's Life, as well as the idealism of how the ideal American should act. Santayana states that there are all kinds of materialisms other than money. "In that paper money of your own stampin, the legal tender of the mind, we are obliged to reckon all the movements and values of the world."(258) The …showed first 75 words of 248 total…

…showed last 75 words of 248 total…sucess, intelligence, and power. Quantity not quality is the most strking expression of the American's materialism. The more it cost the better the product. In conclusion Santayana is saying sometines to get the best quality out of life we simplly need to stop and smell the roses and not see everything as black and white. "This natural idealism does not imply that we are immaterial, but only that we are animate and truly alive."(266-267)