Is greed good…???

[Shamou]

In the 1987 film “Wall Street” Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) delivers a speech that has now become famous… part of which was about greed… (see quote below)

“The point is, ladies and gentleman, that 'greed' -- for lack of a better word -- is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed -- you mark my words -- will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.”

The question being asked in this thread is… “Do you agree that greed is good…???”

.

[Angela]

Well, it's not my favorite Deadly Sin.

[Akashic_Librarian]

I agree with Angela. Sorry, a healthy desire is good. NOT Greed. Greed is destructive, negative, dark. It is the balance to the light. But not Light in itself.

[RT Wolf]

Could he have meant meant self-interest rather than greed?

[Angela]

It's funny now to think that during the eighties greed was fashionable. Perpetual dissatisfaction was seen as this dynamic and enviable condition which will lead to being a superior person (= nice house, sexy car, foxy spouse, hardbody, lots of cocaine -- and more more more of everything!) as well as driving civilization to new and greater heights!

I remember there were small, nutty pockets of folks who dreamed during that period of the Age of Aquarius they expected to manifest after the turn of the century, in which people would be concerned with personal growth, experiencing interconnectedness, living in accordance with values like love, generosity, joy and peace.

Oh -- wait! Here we are! Happy Age of Aquarius, everybody!


p.s. favorite Deadly Sin = Lust, with Gluttony running a close second

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Akashic_Librarian

I agree with Angela. Sorry, a healthy desire is good. NOT Greed. Greed is destructive, negative, dark. It is the balance to the light. But not Light in itself.

Could not greed equate with a great passion...???

And could it not be said that those who have excelled in their field had greed in their pursuit in that endeavor...???

.

[Mark Lapierre]

Enlightened self-interest = good *nods at RT Wolf*
Greed = destructive self-interest = bad

So maybe Gordon Gekko lacked a better word, but we've got a couple. However I have no idea if he was really talking about enlightened self-interest.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Mark Lapierre

Enlightened self-interest = good *nods at RT Wolf*
Greed = destructive self-interest = bad

So maybe Gordon Gekko lacked a better word, but we've got a couple. However I have no idea if he was really talking about enlightened self-interest.

Mark I have always valued your input... so,I would like to ask you the same thing that I asked Akashic_Librarian...

Could not greed equate with a great passion...???

And could it not be said that those who have excelled in their field had greed in their pursuit in that endeavor...???

.

[Mark Lapierre]

I don't think so. Great passion and greed, perhaps, but I don't think great passion is a component of greed. Greed implies no concern for others; getting what you want at any cost, and getting more than you need.

I'd would bet that anyone who was successful through giving in to greed was successful only by taking something away from someone else.

I think great passion could be a component of enlightened self-interest, and a sure path to success, but that is not greed.

[beautyscientist]

I'm British, but we have heard that quote over here quite a bit too. The best reference to an appropriate attitude to material wealth in american culture in my view would be " I don't mind chopping wood, and I don't care if the money's no good. You take what you need and you leave the rest, but they should never have taken the very best."

A fabulous prize is on offer to the first person who can spot where those lines come from.





Colin

[coollikeme]

as it is legal.

[RT Wolf]

I thought this was itneresting, the guy claims enlightened self-interest may save us all.

TED | Talks | Robert Wright: How cooperation (eventually) trumps conflict (video)

[RT Wolf]

This is reallllllyyyy coool:

TED | Talks | Hans Rosling: Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you’ve ever seen (video)

[lifeinoleg]

For me the differences between greed and passion are that greed has no purpose other than to acquire more of the object in question (cars, money, houses), nor does it have bounds.

With passion, a person goes after something they love; they want it because they love it, not simply to have more of it. When they get enough, they stop and enjoy what they have.

On the contrary, a greedy person does not stop acquiring objects, which brings forth the epitaph megalomaniac.

When considering the question "Is greed good?" we are viewing the word greed through the qualities it possesses rather than the whole meaning which adds vital dimensions to the discussion. For example,

- Is a greedy person is passionate? Yes. Is a greedy person is passionate about acquiring? Yes. So far so good. Is a greedy person passionate about what he is acquiring? Perhaps not.

- Does a greedy person have goals? Yes. Are goals a necessary part of the personal development credo we all subscribe to? Yes. So greed is good because it advocates something we all believe in? No, because:
a) Goals should have an end-result.
b) Goals should have a purpose.
c) Goals must be moderated by the world. (as opposed to dreams)
d) Goals must be, in the end, for the common good, ethically speaking.

- Will a greedy person eschew ethics to achieve goals/acquire objects? If the person is greedy enough, yes.

In general, it is a muddled arguer who tries to separate passion and greed completely. Certainly a greedy person can be passionate, be it even passionate about the acquiring of the objects, passionate about the chase. Still, passion does not equal greed. And greed is not good.


[Thus far in this post I have neglected to mention the negative (not as in good/bad negative, more in the mathematical sense) definition of greed, i.e. refusing to share. Taking that into account adds a lot to the idea that greed is not good.]

[Angela]

Originally Posted by beautyscientist

I'm British, but we have heard that quote over here quite a bit too. The best reference to an appropriate attitude to material wealth in american culture in my view would be " I don't mind chopping wood, and I don't care if the money's no good. You take what you need and you leave the rest, but they should never have taken the very best."

A fabulous prize is on offer to the first person who can spot where those lines come from.
Colin

"The Night .... they drove ol' Dixie Down".....and all the people were singin' -- The Band

I'm greedy for my prize!!!!

[poetrythug]

"The desire to build something great" is good. "Greed" is not.

Billionaire technology entrepreneurs have increased the wealth and the prosperity in the world, provided a great service, and created many jobs, because of a desire to build something great. This is different from someone who has the desire to aggrandize their net worth at any cost.

[jamestl2]

I watched an abc special report about this very topic a few years ago and found it very interesting (They interviewed people and asked them questions like comparing Bill Gates to Mother Theresa), it is summarized here:

ABC News: When is Greed Good?

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by jamestl2

I watched an abc special report about this very topic a few years ago and found it very interesting (They interviewed people and asked them questions like comparing Bill Gates to Mother Theresa), it is summarized here:

ABC News: When is Greed Good?

Great article... thanks for sharing it with us...

.

[Sam988]

Originally Posted by Shamou

The question being asked in this thread is… “Do you agree that greed is good…???”

Considering the advantages and disadvantages, i definitely consider greed to be useful to humankind.

Many people helped human kind by greed, while some, like hitler, werent good to humankind at all. But i think the people who helped humankind by greed are far more numerous than those who were bad for humankind.

So yea, i think greed is good.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Sam988

Considering the advantages and disadvantages, i definitely consider greed to be useful to humankind.

Many people helped human kind by greed, while some, like hitler, werent good to humankind at all. But i think the people who helped humankind by greed are far more numerous than those who were bad for humankind.

So yea, i think greed is good.

If greed is defined as seen in the Gordon Gekko quote seen below... I wholeheartedly agree with you...

“The point is, ladies and gentleman, that 'greed' -- for lack of a better word -- is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit.

Greed, in all of its forms -- greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge -- has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed -- you mark my words -- will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA.”

.

[Mark Lapierre]

Originally Posted by Sam988

Considering the advantages and disadvantages, i definitely consider greed to be useful to humankind.

Many people helped human kind by greed, while some, like hitler, werent good to humankind at all. But i think the people who helped humankind by greed are far more numerous than those who were bad for humankind.

So yea, i think greed is good.

Could you give any examples of people providing help through greed?

I read James' article but I didn't see anything about greed. Competition, innovation, capitalism, interest in money, responsibility, enlightened self-interest, but no greed. I think it illustrates the lack of clarity in what greed actually is.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Mark Lapierre

I think it illustrates the lack of clarity in what greed actually is.

Not easy to define “greed” since it has such a pejorative connotation…

However, Merriam-Webster defines greed as "having or showing a selfish desire for wealth and possessions…" it does say “selfish” but, if we get down to it, isn’t almost everything we do selfish…???

And, the James' article… I think well illustrates that if one is motivated by greed the effort with be greater and the end product much superior…

I know that for religious people the word “greed” is hard to swallow… but, I also believe that it high time to give that word the “lettres de noblesse” that it so richly deserves...

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[Michael Chui]

Originally Posted by Mark Lapierre

I read James' article but I didn't see anything about greed. Competition, innovation, capitalism, interest in money, responsibility, enlightened self-interest, but no greed. I think it illustrates the lack of clarity in what greed actually is.

How about I define "greed" as "the desire for something for its own sake"?