The Microsoft Encarta Dictionary - Greed

The Microsoft Encarta dictionary defines greed as “an overwhelming desire to have more of something such as money than is actually needed.” This definition cannot be argued with for it is plain and simple, giving the essence of the word. But to millions, perhaps billions of people, greed is something else. Some people portray greed as being qualities of the evil, selfish, and corrupt. Although these viewpoints may be partially true, greed cannot be condemned as solely being an escapee of Pandora’s Box. Let us agree that greed is pursuing actions guided by rational self-interest. This means that anything outside food and water acquired at the cost of anyone else, no matter little they are affected can be defined as greed. Greed is a driving force of the world’s wellbeing; all attempts to eliminate greed from humanity have ended up as disasters. Nearly all inventions of today and days past are the offspring of greedy people. Most jobs and societies are created because of greed since it is a motivator and pushes people to try and do their best. It is greed that encourages the consumer to purchase the best product at the cheapest price, thus creating market forces that help in eliminating inefficiency and waste. Greed is an asset to humanity, a tool that some are able to embrace and prosper by better than others.

Greed, being a key human condition, has shaped society from the very start. In fact, some scholars believe that greed was the first major milestone of human success, when the first human wondered why he/she had to scrounge around for necessities; it is a part of being human to be greedy. Wanting a new car, to be loved by another, or to desire the feeling of well doing when feeding the needy, these are all factions of greed. There is NO circumstance where a human isn’t greedy to some extent. Marxism revolves around the theory that owning property induces greed and that therefore the removal of property from a society displaces greed. The logic evolved into the Marxism System of Government that successfully lasted for a few months in the USSR before going corrupt. During its existence, Marxism eradicated the concept of ownership, but at a cost; the lack of motivation in the Marxist society made development a waste of time and production a waste of effort. This led to the corruption and eventual collapse of the government. Thus, a society without properly and efficiently integrating greed into itself will lose the power of the human condition, and thus not survive.

Albert Einstein is regarded as the fourth most important individual in world history. He is portrayed as being sensible, honest and selfless in his complete devotion to science. But that observation is partially eschewed. If Einstein felt he was getting no gain out of his research and findings, it wouldn’t be in his self-interest to continue. According to “Dear Professor Einstein: Albert Einstein's letters to and from children” one of Einstein’s primary goals for doing his work was to understand “how God and his marvelous creations work”p47. The driving force for his research had not been solely for the benefit of science, but to also satisfy his hunger for knowledge. This, whatever one may call it, is at its purest form greed. The ink this paper was printed with, the paper it was printed on, the coffee in your hand; these are all the outcomes of a greedy individual. Whether the reason was to earn money, improve the general quality of life, make the world a better place for one’s children or even just to make one’s own life simpler, all scientific advances are the result of greed.

Ted Turner was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to a family that was at the time below the poverty line. He was later expelled from Brown University for having women in his room. But this same man by 1995 has created TBS (Turner Broadcasting System) and Turner Network Television, has won the 1977 America’s Cup, and has been named the Time man of the year. He now employs millions of people around the world and is able to give billions of dollars to various causes. If his greed for success hadn’t existed, those jobs wouldn’t necessarily be here today. And the money that was donated to various causes may not have been donated because it would have been divided amongst too many people. The wealth Mr. Turner has acquired, or rather that his greed has acquired, is doing far more good for the world than if he had led a normal, less rambunctious life. There are thousands of others, who like Mr. Turner, have enriched the global economy with their greed. Their determination to get more creates a wake behind them