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THE QUESTION
Greed and the Economy
Greed, one of the seven deadly sins, is seen as a major factor in the housing market crash and the oil price spike. Can greed ever be justified morally or religiously?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on May 28, 2008 3:43 AM
FROM THE PANEL
Achievement Must Be Linked to God
Without industry we would be dull and lifeless people. But when industry is not linked to the other virtues, especially a concern for promoting the common good, it deteriorates into greed.
Posted by Richard Mouw, on June 3, 2008 8:08 AM
Greed Is Not Good--So What Do We Do About It?
For the past eight years, the United States government has been run by people who basically share the Gordon Gekko "greed is good" philosophy. Economic inequality has increased exponentially as have the value of the gargantuan salaries of CEOs and heads of Wall Street firms.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on June 2, 2008 9:00 AM
Greed is Unjustified Desire
Greed means wishing or grasping for things that are beyond one’s needs. Thus it seems that greed is a universal desire that is very deeply embedded in the human spirit.
Posted by Adin Steinsaltz, on June 2, 2008 7:57 AM
Satisfying Our Needs, Gratifying Our Wants
The definition of greed is the pursuit of gratification for its own sake irrespective of appropriateness.
Posted by Nicholas T. Wright, on June 2, 2008 7:22 AM
Greed Disappoints
Ancient Hindu scripture, Bhagavad-Gita says: there are three gates to self-destructive hell—greed, anger, and desire.
Posted by Rajan Zed, on June 2, 2008 5:18 AM
Pride's Worse
Within the tradition of the deadly sins, it's pride that causes us as individuals and nations to place ourselves before others, to believe (REALLY believe) that our interests are best and we see clearly where others don't or can't.
Posted by Gustav Niebuhr, on May 30, 2008 3:46 PM
Greed is the Sickness of Runaway Wanting.
NO, greed can never be justified.
Posted by Willis E. Elliott, on May 30, 2008 1:10 PM
The Gifts and Costs of Greed
It cannot be right that disparities between rich and poor are growing. If that's the effect of greed, whatever is does for the economy, it is appalling in its impact on humanity.
Posted by Julia Neuberger, on May 30, 2008 12:33 PM
Led Into Temptation, One Point at a Time
Sin doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It is very revealing to think about a sin like greed in context. Certain conditions conspire to tempt people to be greedy and those conditions are part of how we think theologically about sin.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on May 29, 2008 1:06 PM
Greed is Not Good
Dante might say that we have two distinct set of challenges in the mortgage crisis and the oil crisis. We have people tempted to be spendthrifts, to buy a bigger house, to buy a bigger car, than they can afford. We have people tempted to be misers--or money lenders and oil tycoons willing to do anything to put more money in their accounts.
Posted by M. Cathleen Kaveny, on May 29, 2008 11:11 AM
Charity, not Greed
The greedy man exploits the system to satisfy his desire.
Posted by John Mark Reynolds, on May 29, 2008 10:45 AM
Greed: More for Me, Less for Others
Spiritually, greed is a sin that worships and serves possessions instead of God.
Posted by Leith Anderson, on May 29, 2008 9:09 AM
The Amorality of the Free Market
In the amorality of a free market, greed is the same as Adam Smith's invisible hand, and that hand is attached to God. It's not so much that greed is immoral but something deeper: does morality even have a say?
Posted by Deepak Chopra, on May 28, 2008 8:43 AM
One’s Greed Is Another’s Need – Even For God
The very fact of creation proves that greed can be good. If God is infinite, all knowing, and all powerful, then why did S/He create a universe?
Posted by Brad Hirschfield, on May 28, 2008 7:34 AM
Balancing Material Comforts and Spiritual Values
We should aim, by all means, to improve ourselves and seek for basic material security and comforts for our families. But we should not let the possession or the relentless pursuit of material possessions obscure our obligations to God and our fellow men and women.
Posted by Michael Otterson, on May 28, 2008 6:33 AM
FEATURED COMMENTS
Mr Mark: Love makes the world go 'round.
Greed makes the world go 'round?
But - what if "love of greed" makes the world go 'round?
"You just blew ...
John: Greed is not the reason for the oil price spike-- our own reluctance to drill for oil in the Gulf and Alaska is. I wish these socialists wo...
Aquarius: Greed is defined as an excessive desire for wealth or possessions. Excesses are rarely a good thing.
No major innovation or life improvemen...
