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'I have never understood why it is greed to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money.' - Thomas Sowell
To take a something without giving something in return is selfish, childish, and greedy.
Reminds of this;
"God helps those who help themselves" ~ Ben Franklin
As an example, if you asked me to help you move a piece of furniture, but then just watched me as I moved the furniture for you, I was not actually helping you. I would be doing the work for you. Many people fall into the trap of inactivity.
We are seeing "greed" right now in people who breed animals for an income......everyone can stop breeding their cute pet!
It is always self centered. But so is human nature. From the very time we leave the womb we are self centered. Altruism is something that must be taught, learned, and practiced over and over again. And even then, our self centered human nature is still deeply imbedded in our psyche. Some people are better than others at fighting it off, but there is not a single person on this planet that doesn't still have it in them. It is a necessary defense mechanism for self preservation.
But the point is, "self centered" can, and often does, benefit all of society.
Human nature is not self centered. The earliest humans to survive did so because they lived in packs. They were dependent on one another. Humans are relatively weak and slow. If not for cooperation, humans would be extinct.
Look at maternal instinct? It's about as non-selfish as it gets.
Self preservation is not the same thing as being self centered. Look at Native American tribes pre-colonialism. Many were basically communist societies. Everyone contributed, and everyone got something. The idea that Western ideas of community are human nature is simply western arrogance and has no basis in fact.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD
I'm not saying money is ALWAYS the key motivator. But much of the time, it is. And without it, we would advance at a much slower pace. We can't all be Jonas Salk. In fact, very few of us are.
I wanted to help people, but I also wanted a comfortable life for my family and I. So I found a way to balance altruism with "greed".
If I was purely altruistic with zero greed, I would still do what I do, but I would live in a small house, live on the bare minimum, and give 90% of my salary to charity.
As to the Apple Watch, I don't know. I'm sure it benefits somebody, somewhere. But that is the beauty of it. Useless inventions lose money for the inventor and then the invention fades off into oblivion. Though occasionally it leads to a better invention that actually DOES benefit people
I wouldn't describe wanting to help others and also wanting money as being greed, or even balanced with greed. Expecting return on something is not greed. Expecting or taking more than you deserve is. Another bizarre thing that comes from Western thinking (this is largely due to early Christianity's view on money) equates wanting money as being greed. It's not. Wanting money in return for doing something or to eat is hardly greed. But having an inflated sense of importance and expecting more than is deserved is.
This is why I don't like the 'greed is good' quote. Sure, if you diminish greed to basically meaning any form of desire, greed for knowledge is good, but I wouldn't describe that as greed in the first place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnesthesiaMD
Of course greed can be bad. When one's desire for something is so strong that they hurt people in order to get what they want, that is bad. I think that this is the level of greed that people think about when they hear the word. Which is why the context is so important here.
I also agree that comparing quotes between real people and fictional characters is a little silly. I think the OP could have picked 2 real quotes or 2 fictional ones.
Same as what I said. I don't consider wanting something a lot to necessarily be greed. I get the context. I'm not adamantly against what it's saying; within the context, I do agree that greed is good, however I don't think greed can actually be used in such a context accurately.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taratova
Neither..both radical
How is the last one radical? I've already explained what it means, but I'm curious if you can actually tell me why it's radical without relating it to Karl Marx.
that 2nd one, I forget which one was Karl but I loved the Mark Brothers, especially Chico and that one that didn't say anything but honked his horn all the time.
Human nature is not self centered. The earliest humans to survive did so because they lived in packs. They were dependent on one another. Humans are relatively weak and slow. If not for cooperation, humans would be extinct.
Look at maternal instinct? It's about as non-selfish as it gets.
Self preservation is not the same thing as being self centered. Look at Native American tribes pre-colonialism. Many were basically communist societies. Everyone contributed, and everyone got something. The idea that Western ideas of community are human nature is simply western arrogance and has no basis in fact.
A child is an extension of the "self". It symbolizes life beyond that of the parent. Sacrificing for ones children is self centered.
Individuals that work together do so because it benefits the individuals to do so. If an individual felt it wasn't to his/her benefit, he/she would obviously leave if given the choice and they had somewhere else to go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDusty
I wouldn't describe wanting to help others and also wanting money as being greed, or even balanced with greed. Expecting return on something is not greed. Expecting or taking more than you deserve is. Another bizarre thing that comes from Western thinking (this is largely due to early Christianity's view on money) equates wanting money as being greed. It's not. Wanting money in return for doing something or to eat is hardly greed. But having an inflated sense of importance and expecting more than is deserved is.
Before we were talking about "more than is needed", which is very different than "more than is deserved". Both are very subjective. In my opinion, I definitely make more money than I need to live, but not more than I deserve. Someone else may have a different opinion. But I desire to make more than I need, but not necessarily more than I deserve, though I wouldn't throw away a winning lottery ticket. To some, that is greed. To others it is not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDusty
This is why I don't like the 'greed is good' quote. Sure, if you diminish greed to basically meaning any form of desire, greed for knowledge is good, but I wouldn't describe that as greed in the first place.
Same as what I said. I don't consider wanting something a lot to necessarily be greed. I get the context. I'm not adamantly against what it's saying; within the context, I do agree that greed is good, however I don't think greed can actually be used in such a context accurately.
I didn't set the context. The OP gave us that quote to work with, and the quote has a pre-determined context, just as the Marx quote does.
Crappy leading question (kinda like the ones used by the 'unbiased' 'journalists' in the last Republican debate);
Do you feel guilty after you beat your wife?
Reminds of this;
"God helps those who help themselves" ~ Ben Franklin
As an example, if you asked me to help you move a piece of furniture, but then just watched me as I moved the furniture for you, I was not actually helping you. I would be doing the work for you. Many people fall into the trap of inactivity.
People are very narrow minded and think greed applies to the rich only, they are very wrong. People fail to realize that the people who are investing their money in hopes of being able to take care of themselves when they are no longer able to work instead of becoming a dependent taking from other people.
Many poor people are greedy because they have no problem taking money by government force so they can take that which they did not earn even though they are able to work. This also defines greed.
Hot is good, so how can its opposite , cold, also be good?
Posts are stupid sometimes.
Hot isnt good.
Hot isnt a virtue or a vice, its a state. It is not a being. No one is being hot. You can only be hot. There is a reason why it is called "the verb 'to be'" and not "the noun 'to be'". That would simply be "is". Its actually the whole foundation of the English language.
Virtue is good.
Good is a virtue.
Bad is a vice.
Vice is bad.
By definition.
Last edited by gumisgood; 10-30-2015 at 05:38 PM..
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Which saying do you disagree less with?
