Greed is Good

[Snoopy]

Is Greed Good?

I would post a poll, but I have no clue as to how to do that.

Main Argument:

Greed is a motivator.

Without greed, people would be lazy, wouldn't work, and inventors would have no reason to create things.

Example: You are a paper boy (or girl). You get paid 50 dollars a week for delivering the papers. First off, chances are, you would do it for the sake of getting cash. Second off, if they suddenly stopped paying you, and told you to work anyway, would you still work?

[Chlodwig I.]

first you normaly don't work for money or greed
you work to satisfy your needs for food, shelter etc.

So if you don't get the possibility to satisfy these needs with your work
then you have to find another work

that has nothing to do with greed

[stratesx]

Human beings rose to the top of the food chain not by competing against each other and crushing one another in the struggle to "get ahead", but through cooperation. Only by cooperating were humans able to combine their resources to hunt, build shelters, and eventually domesticate plants, animals, develop pottery, build the pyramids, etc., etc.

[Snoopy]

True, but on the other hand, they only cooperated for greed anyway. Greed for more food led to them cooperating to quench each others greed.

[Roy Batty]

True, but on the other hand, they only cooperated for greed anyway. Greed for more food led to them cooperating to quench each others greed.

That is, quite frankly, a ridiculous personal assertion from somebody that has probably never had to go hungry for more than a day in their life. I would go into more detail but to be honest, I'm stupefied (and not a little depressed) that you can't differentiate between a need and a desire.

[Snoopy]

The lion example is not greed. That is lazyness.

The paper boy is greedy unless he works for no pay. True, he deserves money nonetheless, but still wants the money, therefore is greedy.

Almost anything done to gain something is caused by greed.

The person doesn't work for mutual benefit for the sake of helping both (generally), they do it for the sake of gaining at least half. The mutual part is so they don't get into a big fight (in which the food stores gets lit on fire or something of the sort.)

It is still possible for people to be greedy for a need. A person might fight another person for food. It is still greed. They may drink water, but they are still being greedy, no matter how good the intentions.

Greed is the want for Anything for personal benefit. How good the intention (like giving food to their family) is still a sort of greed.

Also:

You are defining greed differently. Greed in itself is simply a person wanting something, even if they need it. Letting other people do the job for them is Laziness combined with greed. The greed is not bad, since without it, inventors would have no reason to invent (they may be greedy to use their own creations, or they may be greedy for the money from selling it). What IS bad is how people may quench that greed (killing each other, looting towns, ect).

On the hungry thing:

(1) Chances are, neither have you

(2) If you HAVE ever been hungry, then what does that prove?

Also in general:

If you constantly give a poor man money, he will come to expect it and become lazy. On the other hand, if you get him to sell things for it (possibly slightly cheaper) he will probably find ways to get the stuff other people need, helping other poor people by selling the supplies to them.

[bubka]

Human beings rose to the top of the food chain not by competing against each other and crushing one another in the struggle to "get ahead", but through cooperation. Only by cooperating were humans able to combine their resources to hunt, build shelters, and eventually domesticate plants, animals, develop pottery, build the pyramids, etc., etc.

build the pyramids?
is that an example of a glorious human achievement?
i would call it a monument to inhumanity and slavery.
do you think the labourers cooperated out of their own will?
they were forced to, and many died.
the same can be said about most buildings, even modern ones, but at least in capitalism, I'll admit the payplan is better.

[Khosson]

do you think the labourers cooperated out of their own will?

Yes I do. And I've been thinking like this since I saw a documentary on discovery that cleared things up for me.

[Vladimir Lenin]

first you normaly don't work for money or greed
you work to satisfy your needs for food, shelter etc.

So if you don't get the possibility to satisfy these needs with your work
then you have to find another work

that has nothing to do with greed

Wrong, completely wrong.

We work for what we want.

However what we want also crosses over into what we need luckily.

[Chlodwig I.]

but greed would led more to a lion behaviour
laying under a tree and waiting for you lionesses to bringt the food
that would be greed
working together for a mutual benefit is not greedy

and for working
asking for a fair payment for your labour is not greedy
greedy would be not paying a fair price for labour
so for your paper boy example
his employer demanding him to work for nothing thats greed

[IndianPrince]

Sometimes ... like ambition is a good kinda goal .. everyone encourages THAT

Prince

[Maverick]

Sometimes ... like ambition is a good kinda goal .. everyone encourages THAT

Prince

Except most people's ambition exceeds their talent.

[Captain Blackadder]

Yes they got paid to do that and it was something to do when your fields were flooded though to be truefull I would not have liked to be paid in what they were paid in. (onions i think)

[iudas]

Indeed, evidence suggests that the pyramids were not built by slaves but by free people who weren't forced to do it.

@OP: what you mention as the good things 'greed' provides are in fact provided by ambition or having other specific goals. I wouldn't work for anything or anyone for free (except if I really loved the job, unlikely though) but that's not because of greed. You can't say you're greedy if you want 50 more dollars per week (a salary which, for Romania, where I live, is quite impressive... ), can you?

[Knasp]

According to dictionary.com

An excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves

Greed is doing everything you can to get more, even if it hurts others.

[Centurion-Lucius-Vorenus]

That determines your own definition of Greed and to what level of greediness your analyzing. For example, if i choose to work to make money and buy things that would be good, because in the end i am contributing to the economy. However if i would ignore all those less fortunate, and end up putting my old relatives in third rate nursing homes just to make more money, then that is bad.

[Chlodwig I.]

Well not sure if I'm wrong
maybe I should explain it more understandable

You want what you need
But you don't need what you want.

need is transportation, food, shelter
want is ferrari, caviar, luxury home

so wants are created by needs
if you don't feel the need for transportation
you normaly don't want to buy a car


but still it has nothing to do with greed

[JP226]

You want what you need
But you don't need what you want.

need is transportation, food, shelter
want is ferrari, caviar, luxury home

but by wanting that you produce more and benefit more.

[Knasp]

I think you are confused about the meaning of the words.

What you are all talking about is ambition.

am·bi·tion /æmˈbɪʃən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[am-bish-uhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun
1.an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment: Too much ambition caused him to be disliked by his colleagues.
2.the object, state, or result desired or sought after: The crown was his ambition
3.desire for work or activity; energy: I awoke feeling tired and utterly lacking in ambition. –verb (used with object)
4.to seek after earnestly; aspire to.

Greed is a negative noun, and it is because the word infact has a negative meaning.

greed
noun1. excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves

Ever heard of King Midas, heh!

[sanada]

Greed is intrinsically bad, it is related to gluttony, adultery and selfishness, all of these things are intrinsically bad.

Greed is, as pointed out above by Knasp, having more then you need, which can be good in some situations...so in a way you can argue that greed is immoral, but without greed we would not be able to survive in the 'animal' sense of the word