‘Greed is good.’ To what extent do you agree?

Greed is known as excessively strong desire that we humans feel towards something. We can usually differentiate ‘greed’ from ‘ambition’ by examining the extent of means that a person takes to obtain his wants. When a person dares to take rather unethical or very self-centred methods, such as putting other fellows at disadvantage in order to place himself on top, his action is considered greedy. Being understood with a negative connotation, greed is therefore often destructive: To the third party, to the self or even both. On the other hand, it is also increasingly admitted that this desire so intense to succeed has effectively produced desired results, thereby justifying the benefits of being greedy. There is even the saying that goes, ‘The end justifies the means,’ an apt statement to advocate greed. I do not deny the many satisfying results that people have achieved as a result of being a little more greedy, namely in economic, political and academic arenas. However, the justification of greed as a ‘necessary tool’ for survival in today’s fiercely competitive society and overshadowing of ethnics is a growing concern regarding the question whether greed is really good. I believe that greed, while it can be a good catalyst to spur us onto achieving our goals, can often give in detrimental impacts to both individuals and the society.

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Perhaps the best reason for advocating that greed is good would be its ability to spur a person, a firm or a society for success. It can be noticed easily when we examine how many influential inventions of today have come about. Most of them are products of their inventors’ desperate desire to earn profits. Many Research and Development by firms have undoubtedly played a crucial role in bringing in more efficient services and satisfaction to their customers, regardless of the firms’ primary motives for money. Thanks to the firms’ strong drive for better products and services, we, customers, ...

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