I Believe Greed Is Good

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;

Can greed and self-interest benefit our society’s economy? majority of people would say, but one man by the name of Adam Smith would’ve disagreed. he believed that profit motive even greed could be good for the economy. This very theory spiraled an onset of controversies and debates. However, his theory shined in the right light; justified is the best solution for the economy.

Some people might say that greed is good because unregulated capitalism was beneficial for living conditions. This was because many inventions came along the way helping the manufacturing of products much easier and efficient. Also many people got hired for companies that were starting to flourish and made competition for various products that people often wanted. As a matter of fact, a new mindset of beginning capitalism, capitalism is the right to own and profit from you own company, surged. Furthermore, there were alot of ethnicities of immigrants, were political figures enforced

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.

Greed affects everybody one way or another. It changes how people act in important situations. Greed can force people into doing what is beneficial to them and not the masses who could have their lives changed for the better based off the decision made by one greedy individual. Greed takes over people's mind and turns them into savages who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Greed is alive and well in Lord Of the Flies by William Golding, Greed can be seen numerous times throughout this fantastic book where dozens of young boys get stranded on an island with no adults and only themselves to stay alive. Throughout the book the boys come to treat each other very harshly and become violent when something does not go their way. This

Greed can also be the reason for idiotic and irrational decisions. It influences one’s decisions and could lead to their downfall. One example Irving gave was Tom’s choice to make a deal with the devil. The “black man” told Tom about the hidden gold that was buried in the woods, and a deal Tom could make to get this gold(246). At first Tom rejected the offer due to the fact that he would have to split this fortune with his wife, but after his wife’s disappearance he went back to search for the devil. When he found the devil the terms for the deal were negotiated. Tom would have to trade his soul and open a broker shop in exchanger for the money(248-249). This is where Tom’s greed made him irrational and influenced him to make a bad decision. He made the deal, not thinking of the others he would have to hurt in the broker business and without consideration that his soul will then belong to the devil. Greed made Tom not think rationally and make a decision that would lead to his downfall in the near future. The other example Irvin gave was a greed-based decision that Tom’s wife made the ultimately led to her death. After Tom’s first encounter with the devil he came home and told his wife about his experience and the offer the devil made. Tom’s wife was all for it but Tom did not want to accept his the offer(246). Her greed came into play when she decided that she would steal some valuables and go out and make the deal herself. This greedy decision was

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 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 the main cause of evil in the world because it brings the worst in each and every individual. These individuals are capable of anything to accomplish their goals, and self-suffice their needs such as wealth, social-class, etc. An example of greed in Candide is when the old woman tells Lady Cunegonde “I confess that, if I were in your place, I should have no hesitation in marrying the Governor and making the captain’s fortune” (Voltaire, p. 58). In this case the old woman gives advice to Lady Cunegonde that she should marry a stranger just to get away from poverty. Lady Cunegonde is a beautiful, young lady, and because of this she is desired by many men, one of whom is the Governor of Buenos Ayres, as a result she can gain benefits from her beauty. It is unbelievable that she is capable of getting married to a man just because of his social position and wealth.

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

Greed is a selfish excessive desire for more of something than what is necessary or required. Greed within America has gradually escalated over the years hence; people have become corrupt with selfish ideas to obtain power, resources, and money without limits. Greed within America can be found all around the world in the wealthiest places and in poverty-stricken areas. There are many forms of greed it could be as small as a person stealing from a local mall or as big as a president instigating a war to steal recourses basically any person finding the means to take something more than what is necessary. In the past, there has been instances of greed displayed by our country one of them being The Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was brought about by “Taxation Without Representation” American colonists believed. Britain taxed unfairly to pay off damages that they had sustained during the French and Indian war. American colonists were approximately drinking 1.2 million pounds of tea per year, Britain realized this and made even more money by imposing taxes onto the American colonies not only with tea but also glass, lead, oil, paint and paper. By imposing taxes on the American Colonists on what they considered a

One of the people’s traits affected by human nature in many stories is greed. As shown throughout, greed is an evil sin. This

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”.

Fear is a poor motivator for virtue, but an excellent one for greed. Sometimes, greed is simply a desire to have so much that we can't possibly run out.