Meaning of Greed
Neel Burton, M.D. in “Is Greed Good? The Psychology and Philosophy of Greed”, defines greed as the disordered desire for more than is decent or deserved, not for the greater good but for one’s own selfish interest, and at the detriment of others and society at large.
The Bible lists greed as one of the seven deadly sins. However, is there any benefit of greed? How much is too much? Should we criticise greed or celebrate it?
Dark Side of Greed
Greed has a dark side. Neel Burton, M.D., in the above-mentioned article, notes that we associate greed with negative psychological states. These include stress, exhaustion, anxiety, depression and despair. He also notes that we associate greed with maladaptive behaviours such as gambling, scavenging, hoarding, trickery and theft. He states that greed loosens family and community ties by overriding reason, compassion and love. He further states that greed undermines the bonds and values upon which we build society.
Greed results in excessive materialism, miserliness and a debasement of our humanity. In a bid to keep up with the Joneses in order to improve our social status, we may engage in excessive materialism. This can lead us to being overworked and stressed out which, in turn, takes a toll on our health.
Miserliness is also another dark side of greed. An unhealthy obsession with money can result in absurd, irrational behaviour. In “The Miser”, a play by Molière, Harpagon, the miser, is a miserable old man who builds his wealth by lending money at an exploitative rate. He does this while pinching every penny at home. For instance, he refuses to replace the worn-out clothes of his servants. He is also paranoid about the money that he has hidden in his garden. This shows irrational behaviour.
Greed also debases our humanity. As a result of greed, people are willing to deceive, harm and kill others to satisfy their blind ambitions. “Father Goriot”, a novel by Honoré de Balzac, depicts corruption and greed in 19th Century French society. In the novel, someone advises Rastignac, an individual corrupted by his thirst for advancement, wealth and social status, to kill another person in a duel in order to acquire wealth.
The advice is as follows: “The more cold-blooded your calculations, the further you will go. Strike ruthlessly, you will be feared … in this way you will reach the goal of your ambition.” This shows how greed can result in blind ambition and a loss of our moral values.
Benefits of Greed
Despite having a dark side, greed also has some benefits. Greed may be a source of motivation which promotes inventions and creativity. The desire for a better lifestyle over the years has led to the use of electricity, automobiles, aeroplanes, the internet, etc.
Neel Burton, M.D., in the above-mentioned article, states that without some measure of greed, individuals and communities are more likely to run out of resources. He states that they will also lack the means and motivation to innovate and achieve. He notes that this makes them more vulnerable to the vagaries of fate and the designs of their enemies. He further states that, whether we like it or not, greed fuels our society and without greed, our society would descend into poverty and anarchy.
Anna Chui expresses a similar view in her article, “Greed is something we should all strive for”. She notes that the quest for more and better stuff has driven societies to the highest level of achievement.
Greed may also result in wealth creation. We can use wealth for philanthropic purposes to serve humanity. These purposes include alleviating poverty, reducing starvation and finding a cure for a pandemic. Although many people described John D. Rockefeller as greedy and miserly in his day, we cannot overemphasise the impact that the Rockefeller Foundation he established has made on the world. The foundation engages in many philanthropic ventures and focuses on public health and education.
Another example is the Giving Pledge, a nonprofit that Bill Gates and Warren Buffiet founded. For this nonprofit, the world’s wealthiest individuals and families promise to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. They promise to do so either during their lifetimes or in their wills. Thus, although we may describe wealthy individuals as greedy, if they do give a majority of their wealth away for philanthropic purposes to serve humanity, this may be a benefit of greed.
How much is too much?
Although greed has its negative attributes, a healthy dose of greed may be beneficial if we take the benefits of greed into account.
Greed has become a commonplace of our modern society. Bruce E. Levine in his article “Greed and Hustle have become Virtues”, states that greed is now normal in our increasingly money-centric society. He notes that in this society, money is at the centre of virtually all thoughts, decisions and activities. He notes that whereas we once saw greed as something that the spiritually sick practised, today the mass media and mainstream politicians see greed as both normal and acceptable.
But where do we draw the line? How much is too much?
We must control greed in order to reduce the negative effects of greed. Perry Gruber in “How to make greed 100% virtuous”, states that humanity can harness greed, chanelling it so that it is 100% beneficial. When we fail to control greed, it spirals out of control, causing havoc in its wake.
Perry Gruber in the article mentioned above, states that unharnessed, rampant greed combined with our current global governance model seems to be destroying all we used to hold dear. Randy Crump expresses a similar view in “The Benefits of Greed”. He states that unbridled greed, that which lacks any moral compass, that tramples on the dignity and lives of others, is neither healthy nor helpful in a civil society.
Conclusion
In determining whether we should criticise or celebrate greed, we can compare greed to a kaleidoscope. When we rotate a kaleidoscope in our hands, it changes colours and patterns. As such, greed can be positive or negative, depending on how we handle it. Whereas a healthy dose of greed may be beneficial, unharnessed, uncontrolled greed can be fatal.
There is an Indian folktale about a boy in a village who wanted to trick an old man into giving a wrong answer. Everyone in the village revered this old man for his wisdom. The boy caught a bird in his hands and asked the old man what he had in his hands, The old man replied that it was a bird.
The boy then asked the old man whether the bird was alive or dead. His plan was to open his hands and let the bird fly away if the old man said the bird was dead. On the other hand, he planned to crush his hands and kill the bird, letting it fall dead to the ground, if the old man said that the bird was alive. The old man pondered the question and replied, “The answer is in your hands”.
This story shows that we hold the freedom of choice in our hands . It was the boy’s choice to detemine whether the bird was alive or dead. Similarly, it is our choice to determine whether we will use greed positively or negatively.
So, should we criticise or celebrate greed? The answer is in our hands.
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Greed is not, and can never be a virtue. It is crass, and virulent. It’s a sickness and society must strive never to accept it. Beg, steal and borrow are not the same things, and how wealth is attained, either by society or individuals, matters. Societies and people that attain wealth by greed are spiritually defunct, because greed is selfish and self absorbed. And so 1% get to own wealth that is only useful to immortals, whilst everyone else exists on morsels.
Capitalism as it exists today, is not enviable. It is a parasite. Achieving excessive wealth at the expense of all else is not admirable. Its psychotic. Desire to create and achieve are not synonymous with greed. Infact they usually contribute to the collective, until they become tools for self aggrandizement and control.
So if I create a useful technology and sell it so exorbitantly that many of society’s undeserved, who could benefit and grow from its use, are deprived of its good, just so I can turn around and be a philanthropist, what is achieved? I agree with Randy Crumb and Perry Gruber, in the final paragraphs of the article. Greed is a canker. Let’s shun it.
Thanks so much for your comments.
Thanks for your comments.
Greed for lack of a better word is good. A quote from Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street. Greed for life, greed for love, greed for attention, greed for success. The economic system known as capitalism is fueled by the concept of greed. The principle of the invisible hand which is the notional basis for the capitalist credo is predicated on greed. Greed is a healthy part of the human condition but on the periphery has its shortcomings. That’s my take on the concept anyway.
I wish you had incorporated some metaphysical components into what is an overall brilliant article. Even the desire to go to heaven is largely a function of greed because we seek eternal enjoyment. So as you can see its unwarranted social perception that has discredited the true value of greed. Greed for the self or the collective like Gordon Gekko said is “good”.
Your best article yet!
Thanks so much William!
I’m enlightened 🌚👊🏽
Thanks.
In Proverbs 15:27, it is made plain that we should abstain from selfish behavior since those who practice it bring problems to their own homes while those who abhor it live. This article spells out crimes of a greedy nature, such as theft, robbery, murder, covetousness, etc. Anything less than that is commended. Thanks madam.
Thanks for your comments.
Let’s be careful not to put helping the poor from legally acquired wealth and that from the proceeds of greed in the same box. They cannot be the same.
Greed is unethical, immoral and dirty no matter what good the proceeds or benefits are used for. A wrongful act cannot be justified no matter the motivation. Greed involves using fair or foul means to amass wealth, benefit or advantage and that is fundamentally wrong. Our tolerance for seemingly generous acts of greedy person is leading us into the culture of glorifying greed.
Greedy persons are now occupying the front rows in churches and are accorded prominence at social functions. It’s high time we questioned the sources of the wealth of people who pretend to be generous to cover up for their ostentatious lifestyles. They inflict pain and hardship on their victims. Some employers exploit their workers by paying them paltry wages and not contributing to their pension schemes. Any act of generosity from the benefits of greed is like robbing Peter to pay Paul. Greedy people have insatiable appetite for amassing wealth primarily for their selfish interests. We cannot under any circumstance whatsoever justify greed. It’s a canker that must be uprooted from our society.
That greed can be healthy and is the driving force behind several innovations and inventions and thus benefiting society is debatable. Other factors like making a name, meeting a need, fulfilment etc may be the motivation for most inventions and discoveries.
Thanks for your comments. Much appreciated.
Can never read ENOUGH from you. Very proud of you, dear.
Thanks a lot!
Another master piece. Classic by all standards. Congratulations Heidi.
Thanks William!
Thank you.
Exciting write up on a very critical subject.
Just wondering about one of the supposed benefits of greed being philanthropy… Why will we consider it beneficial to deny a current generation their fair share just to extend the held up resources to a later generation as help?
And couldn’t pure ambition be the basis for society’s sustenance and survival without greed?
Just wondering 🧐😁🤗
Interesting and debatable topic. In my view, positive greed shouldn’t be criticized since it spurs up development and creativity. As the writer outlined, uncontrolled greed can be fatal and destructive. I prefer to go for healthy dose of greed😁😁😁. Well done, Heidi. Another nice topic excellently written.
Thank you for your comments.
Greed of all forms must be criticised and we must aspire to eschew it. We must not also misread the basic instinct to achieve survival and security as greed whether it’s at the expense of others or not. The law of relativity exists because we are different species of the same genus. God allows a lion to kill a buffalo because he has the hyena, vulture, worm, ant and soil to feed and nourish. Killing game is a positive instinct for survival but what constitutes greed is when the lion consumes alone. Equilibrium is the key success factor for life and I believe it’s the only thing all mankind be greedy for to be justified before the created and Creator! Toda Rabba!
Thanks for your comments.
True, equilibrium is key! Thanks for your comments.
Fantastic submission dear
Thank you.
You are a wordsmith. Keep it up.
Thank you.