Market Logic: Greed Is Really Self-interest; Net Worth Makes for Self-worth
Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 3:48PM
Lee Van Ham in From Lee, The Market, greed, self-worth

The Market teaches that it is our nature as humans to rationally seek the highest value for the lowest cost. Also, that we seek convenience and self-improvement above all else. Our capacities to care, share, and cooperate, though important, are trumped by our greed, selfishness, and competitiveness. In fact, what appears to many as greed is actually better reframed as acting in self-interest. The Market works with self-interest to bring forth salvation and human welfare, thus transforming greed and acquisitiveness into virtues. 

The worth of individuals is pervasively assessed by the symbols of wealth accumulation that they can display. Self-worth intertwines with net worth and can be determined by it. In the case of accidental death, families can be compensated according to the worth of the deceased. The worth of a person can be calculated by some formula such as what their earning capacity would have been over their lifetime.

Article originally appeared on OneEarth sustainability amid climate change (http://www.theoneearthproject.org/).
See website for complete article licensing information.