Essay about Greed is the Most Influential Vice

Greed can be a powerful motivating force, evident through the positive impact it had on Industrialization in America during the Gilded Age. During this time new inventions became plentiful, but where there were new inventions there also had to be new businesses to back these inventions up and allow them to be successful. Wealthy business owners were able to help in this regard. They already had the capacity to help facilitate the creation of these new inventions, but it did not stop there. This is where greed came in. Greed is the intense and selfish desire for wealth, and it was this that empowered the rich during this time to expand upon their already successful businesses to become even more rich and powerful than they were before. This led to a surge of businesses in the country, and it was all due to greed. It was this desire for more that led to an increase in productivity in the country that helped with the spread of technology throughout it which made it more enticing for immigrants coming to America.

Greed is undeniably a characteristic of being human. Even two hundred thousand years ago, when the first examples of modern humans were in a competition for food and survival, they naturally had to be greedy in order to survive and contribute to the gene pool in order for further generations to evolve and adapt. Darwin proved this with his theory of evolution stating that the species that are better adapted to the environment would be able to spend less time looking for food and more time mating (contributing to the gene pool), while the species who are not as well adapted would die off. The play “Macbeth” and the motion picture based on the book “A Simple Plan” display these themes of greed profusely as the main characters from each are affected by the same characteristic that had previously allowed for human survival. Macbeth in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Hank in the film “A Simple Plan” are both affected by greed as they both turn into murders who backstab their friends, they both ruin their relationship with their wives, and they both end up destroying their lives.

Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction (Erich Fromm).

Greed and ambition are traits that everyone has. Depending on how much of that greed and ambition the person has will determine their outcome. Greed is the intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food and ambition is a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Ambition can be seen as a good thing when used toward good goals. For example, a student being ambitious to get an A-plus on a test. Greed is intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food, therefore, when combined with ambition, it can lead toward evil personalities. Which is displayed in the play “Macbeth” in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, their desire to kill Duncan and become king and queen. However, their plan quickly unraveled and lead to Macbeth’s downfall. The person that was responsible for Macbeth’s downfall was Macbeth himself due to his inability to say “no” to Lady Macbeth and……...

During the early 19th century the market, economy, and communications began expanding rapidly. As these were developing and expanding there was a hunger for more. A hunger for more power and wealth. This starving hunger for more is known as greed. Greed poses the question “is greed good”? So , is it? Is a need or want for more, good? And if so, how? After analyzing and depicting articles about the 1800’s it is evident that greed is good, and here’s why;

Greed: the intense and selfish desire for something, greed is something that can control someone's actions or personality. In the story “The Crucibles” Rev Parris let his greed take over his mind and other choices during this period of time.

Greed can take control over so many in ways some people wouldn't understand it also could be someone you least expect and in the book The Crucible by Miller was an perfect example of greed in two different ways one was in the eyes and way of Abigail Williams and another person who was full of greed in Miller The Crucible was Thomas Putn.

Greed is a person who has a selfish and excessive desire for more than is needed. It is putting one’s own self-interest ahead while damaging another person (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). To be greedy can include anything from fame, money, status, power, and influence. Although greed has a negative connotation, there is a positive aspect to it. An example would be self-interest. In one’s perspective, they can view self-interest as a bad thing; on the other hand, a person can view self-interest as something good. Gordon Gekko made two speeches describing that greed is good and that it is not good. The endless debate of whether greed is good or bad forces people to evaluate to what end does greed take part in the Gilded Age and the Industrial Revolution. It makes people take in the perspective of the relationship between greed, technology, risk-taking, and the desire to get ahead.

Throughout life, greed has always played a role in people’s actions whether they are aware of it or not. Greed is a very powerful thing that can affect someone in a negative way. No one realizes how much it affects them until something bad happens and it’s too late. People will do whatever it takes just to get their wants fulfilled. They don’t think about the outcome or care what happens just as long as they get what they want. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, greed corrupts Macbeth which then creates his downfall.

Middleton and Latif write about the government’s plans to establish casinos in the United Kingdom and that more thought should be put in to the potential health effects it may cause. Both define problem gambling and the effects on one’s physical, mental and social well-being.

Greed is what drives everything in society, whether that be thousands of years ago or today. The reason we have advancements in our world is greed. People want to live forever, have a legacy that lives forever, or they want to have the most money. People have a natural desire to have the most stuff, whether that be money or physical good, and they will go to the ends of the earth to get it. And because this is human nature, unfortunately, it isn’t stopping anytime soon.

The article by Thomas Cassidy, points out the instrumental role that greed plays in the modern corporation. Modern Economists have always seen greed as not only a necessary element in the corporate environment, but as also a vital part of the successful evolution of a public company. As the article points out, “Economists from Adam Smith to Milton Friedman have seen greed as an inevitable and, in some ways, desirable feature of capitalism. In a well regulated and well balanced economy, greed helps to keep the system expanding”.

The legalization of gambling and casino development in communities has become a heated debate topic in recent years. As with any debate, there are two sides presenting valid arguments. The purpose of this paper is to present information from the perspectives of those both in favor of and opposed to the legalization of gambling and casino development in their communities. The paper concludes with the application of ethical theories to help determine the morality of casino development.

In the early 1930s, gambling was legalized throughout the state of Nevada and casinos began to flourish (Dunstan, 1997). The economic growth in Nevada, especially the city of Las Vegas, has improved tremendously by the creation of casinos. Many people were employed since the operation of casinos requires a huge amount of labor, skill, and expertise. In addition, local retail sales also increased from casinos when gamblers visit the stores to spend their winnings on various items and products (Garrett, 2003). As a result, many state governments began to legalize casinos in order to boost their economies and increase employment. As of today, there are roughly 1500 casinos in the United States and they generate almost 65 billion dollars in revenue (“Facts on U.S Casinos” 2013). However, casinos use immoral methods to achieve this incredible feat of big profit with few government interventions. While the city of Las Vegas becomes more prosperous than before, many citizens lose their fortunes or even lives by the immoral business practices implemented by the casinos. Even though the

Utilitarianism suggests that the act that results in the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of individuals is the option that we should choose. Whether gambling should be deemed as an ethical or unethical act depends entirely on the consequences and benefits gambling has on casinos, gamblers, and non-gamblers. If gambling results in the overall increase of a casino’s profit and the overall increase of a gambler’s profit and mental health, then the act of gambling would be considered ethical. However, if the act has more negative implications than positive, then the act of gambling would be unethical. For example, it would be unethical if the transaction between casinos and gamblers was rigged solely for the casino 's financial benefit while exploiting those who gamble there. The significant concern of this paper is not to point a finger at casinos and other gambling mediums as a means to blame them for the mental conditions of those who we’d consider as gambling addicts. Instead, the point of this paper is to acknowledge the effects of gambling and propose the importance of responsibility. I will present an unbiased view of gambling, paying close attention to the psychological effects and motives individuals have regarding gambling at casinos. Also, I will look at the positive results associated with having a successful casino business, so that allowing gambling is ethical from a utilitarian point of