Money plays such an incredibly influential and dominating role in our society that it's a wonder there is not more more discussion on just why this has happened. Jacob Needleman, professor of philosophy at San Francisco State University, contends that we have ascribed the power to transform our lives to money. Using excerpts from a seminar he taught, Needleman spins out secular and sacred ideas on money and meaning from Max Weber, the legend of Solomon, the Sufis, and others.

Through the questions and soul-searching of two students — an artist turned CPA and a young man who has inherited a large fortune — the author shows that the way to escape the tyranny of money is to realize that the only true wealth is self-understanding. The inner adventure of the soul is more vivid, exciting, and alluring than the external appropriation of possessions, status, or power. Waking up to what money can and cannot buy is the beginning of wisdom in this material world. Money and the Meaning of Life by Jacob Needleman is an invaluable resource.