Men only dare greatly if they expect great rewards. The
government that seeks to limit the size of reward that a man may hope for or
expect is foolish at best and tyrannical at worst.
Some say that greed, or need is the mother of invention and I
would have to say that the first is closest to the truth. That is because no matter
how great the need of a people group is the only reason something new is
attempted (which is the essence of invention) is if the person who is making
the attempt believes he will reap some reward that he feels is adequate to his
effort.
The only difficulty I have is in calling the self-interest
that inspires invention greed. This is because I do not believe that wanting a
better life in and of itself is a manifestation of greed. It seems to me that
greed is when you try to prevent other people from having a better life. Or when
you desire something and steal it rather than work for it.
The characterization of profit as evil is one of the many
ways in which the lazy and greedy rulers of a society work to make it easier
for them to steal from those who work and produce the good things they desire
but do not wish to soil their hands with the production of.
© 2012 Vic Jones
