What is greed?

[SgtSpike]

“I have never understood why it is 'greed' to want to keep the money you have earned but not greed to want to take somebody else's money.” - Thomas Sowell

Discuss.

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[thebaron]

Not greed, more like being lazy. I say that because they seem to be perfectly happy at a bare minimum standard of living and not hoarding the wealth. The thieves even get the government to point guns at the more productive members of society to pay up at no cost to them.

[nybble41]

I would define greed as "desire without purpose", wanting something just for the sake of having it. In most cases there is a purpose behind the desire to keep what you have earned, even if that purpose is only to act as a hedge against the uncertain future. A desire to take someone else's money may be greed, but is more likely to be envy, jealousy, or pride (in the sense of thinking one could make better use of it than the rightful owner), and in some cases it could even be due to an actual or perceived need.

Of course, none of these emotions are necessarily bad in themselves; it's how you choose to act on them that counts.