Is Greed Good?

In order to breakdown what greed is and why it may have a negative or semi positive impact
on us and our growth as a species. Greed can be seen as a selfish want or need, typically it is
associated with wealth and power. Greed brings forward what maybe believed to be the worst
in people as well as the best. Intrinsically, greed is the need of man to seek more than he
already has or possesses. It could be a promotion from Chief Financial Officer of a fortune
500 to the Chief Executive Officer of the same company. These changes may seem minor but
as humans who live in a society with so much opulence, it is key that we understand and give
credit to our biggest driving factor and one of the most addictive drugs known to man,
success. We can more often than not attribute what we call greed as just another term or a
transgression of success. In short the two are heavily inter related and greed cannot exist
without success.

One main theory based around greed is the fact that it may be programmed within our genetic
construct over centuries because, within the course of mankinds evolution process, ‘greed’
has instigated survival. Without greed and ambition, an individual or a community, as well as
a society may lack the desire and will to build or achieve, improve or grow—this may also
render ones desires.

Greed, though not always righteous or virtuos, is in fact the only truly consistent human
motivation, greed produces preferable socio economic outcomes more often than not in
particular situations. Whereas altruism is wholistically a mature capability, greed is however
a democratic impulse, and it is a lot more in line with what society is today and the impact it
has on us. Being altruistic may attract our awe, respect and admiration but it is our greed,
drive and desire that our modern day culture and society encourages and incentivises, and
that in turn delivers the fruits of ones labour and the financial riches on which us as a species
have come to depend on. Whether we like it or not, our society is mostly operative on greed
and success, without subsidiaries of greed like ambition, drive and opulence our society
would descend into a state where growth, innovation, effort, consistency and hard work are
all retarding and slowing down. Greed does seem to be the key driving force behind all
successful societies, people, businesses, and modern political systems. This is because
everyone and everything is competitive and competition drives growth.
Citing a study: Greed really is in fact good, as is income inequality gaps, classism,
economic greed and political domination as well as societal bullying —in certain
contexts, at least. This is the conclusion of a study conducted at the University of
Oxford. Using mathematical models of structuring and human social groups, the
researchers from Oxford University found that when communities are structured in
terms of hierarchy meaning that there a lot of scope for high inequality too—the
individuals who are at the top of the bracket tend to make more of an effort with
regards to the interests of the social group than of those at the bottom of the income
group.

The researchers were able to show/research on behaviour across almost all world
cultures, and they were then able to cite corresponding studies that were done on
chimps, blue monkeys along with lemurs, thus showing that higher ranking
individuals (higher in social hierarchy) most often tend to venture closer to the more
dangerous parts of the territory which have a lot more danger (areas where predators
and other groups roam or near villages) and females who are far up on the hierarchy
will join the higher ranked males when in combat and conflict with other groups. As a
reciprocation, the lower ranking members essentially become what is a popular term
in modern day economics called ‘free riders’, hiding behind their more powerful,
confident and hierarchical superiors. In its essence they are essentially being provided
with free protection and safety as well as being members of a group. W hat do these
neandrethals have to give in response to them being supported as near free riders?
They must never do anything to oppose or go against the members of the group that
are at a higher hierarchical level than them.

Studies like this take us to our most primitive selves and we can use these works as a
citation or a reference point to see why we may behave or interact in certain
mannerisms. The same way animals have certain key behaviours that can be seen
within humans as well like social hierarchy and homosexuality (both exhibited traits
by humans). The same can be said with regards to greed, desire and success.
Greed is very important to the growth of our society as a whole, over the years we have seen
entrepreneurs develop some incredible ideas that have lead to jobs and even new markets
being created. We have seen scientists make discoveries that would impact generations to
come, musicians with music that is timeless and so much more. All of this is a result of their
individual drive and need for more opulence and success in their fields of expertise. If Mark
Zuxkerberg wasn’t greedy enough to be at least one of the cool kids in Harvard Universities
social circles and fraternities, we would not have the 5th biggest company in the world. If
Steve Jobs didn’t put together an operating/eco system of technology that is completely self
reliant on other aspects of it, so much so that you must own all apple products to attain max
efficiency and if one of your products isn’t an apple product that product loses its value in the
eco system. Better yet, heres a much better example of Jobs’ greed that led him to running
one of the worlds top 5 most valuable companies. Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2014 admitted
that apple products like the Iphone run at a certain timespan and the phones are put together
in a way that they are supposed to malfunction and start slowing down in their functioning.
Thus nudging their consumers to buy a new version of the phone. These strategies of greed
has led this company to become one of the worlds highest job providers.

However on the other hand, although mankinds greed can play a very important role in
todays current capitalistic society, the motivations of people behind their greed are not good
many times. It is because of mankinds greed and unrelinquishable desire for money,
power,opulence,success, influence, etc., while having no consideration based around the
impact it has others and people in less fortunate positions than them, that the world economy
and other such worldwide systems are deemed broken by people with more communist and
pessimistic outlooks on the world. Greed is a motivational factor that although is key to our
growth and well being, can also negatively impact outcomes for a lot of people and often
harms other people in this process.

To conclude this essay, what I have hopefully been able to demonstrate to you is the
value that is brought by greed and how looking at greed without understanding its
various other components like success and drive is pointless. Greed is a key driver/has
been a key driver in humanities growth and progress so far, although it does have
some negative implications and can definitely weaken our stronghold on our aim to
create a more equal world. Greed is one of the key attributes behind where mankind
has come over the last century. Everything is easier and more efficient because of
greed. In its essence, fictional character Gordon Gecko was correct. Greed is good, it
is the driving force behind our growth as a species and will continue to be such a
driving force.