I propose that :
Greed is nothing but misplaced (mis-channeled) lust/zest for life!
Greed (I): Is "Greed" the driving force in the free market system?
Money makes the world go round?
Greed actually .. is all around us. But what is "greed", actually? Greed to "consume", to own, to save?
Is "greed" embedded in the capitalist system? Is there no "greed" in other systems?
"Excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or gain".
Does it apply to money and tangibles? Intangibles? Love?
Some could argue that an element of greed is required to drive the economy and thus produce added wealth to distribute to the less fortunate too.
What some people call "greed", could actually be called need or want, or desire. But not "excessive or insatiable desire".
What is maybe worth pondering on is a view "that greed is inherent in the capitalist system".
Is it?
Companies may be vehicles of earning money and greed satisfaction, but in a soviet type system, i.e. a system without private companies, greed still existed, andso does personal ambition!
A key difference could be that the greed is expressed without a vehicle, i.e. directly by persons (e.g. ascend to higher places in the party, perks, etc). But is that preferable?
After all, greed can apply to everything. Or not?
Taking away the money tool, does greed go away?
Not likely!
It just has to channel itself outside supply and demand market mechanisms!!!
It could be argued that through liberty and the market, greed is actually more "benign".
Something to think about?
Is the "enemy" within the capitalist system (a "resident evil") or simply a "squatter"? Can it be "evicted"?'
Greed (II): Greed vs. Passion for Life
Some say greed is the resident evil in today's society, or at least the economy.
Is "freedom" the answer or "protection" (in different forms of freedom and protection).
Freedom to do what?
What if there is nothing there? Vacuum!
Freedom to do nothing. When there is nothing there, the freedom to do nothing is, actually, no freedom. It is the opposite.
Maybe the core human instinct is passion for everything! Passion, in general.
Passion for life, maybe?
PASSION FOR LIFE.
Could it be that what we see as greed for something, is merely the overfocused passion for life, monopolised by one "habit", one object" of passion (tangible or intangible, e.g. chocolate, smoking, property, money, etc.)?
The concentration of passion for life into one object or area of objects or category: anything which can be achieved/acquired by money?
Ia then PLURALISM, i.e. the availability of many objects for a person to do what he/she can concentrate his/her passion for life on is then, I propose, the key to NOT IMPRISONING PASSION FOR LIFE INTO "oligopolistic" or "monopolistic" situations which turn it into greed.
The theory I propose is that greed is, in effect, imprisoned passion for life!
Release passion for life from its tangible and intangible "straits" or "market" constraints.
So, freedom is not the key notion. Freedom to choose, is.
Which means there need to be offerings (supply).
Supply, demand and competition are needed, all three, for pluralism to exist.
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