Economics As The Pursuit Of Self-Interest: Video Analysis

Decent Essays
The three videos depict economics as the pursuit of self-interest. Virtually everyone does everything in life for self-interest. Similarly, every decision and action taken by an individual is driven by an opportunity cost as evident in fox business interviews, Milton Friedman and Gordon Gekko's speech. Pro-greed such as Milton Friedman further describe greed as a common good and there is no alternative way of improving the lives of ordinary people’s lives. As a result, greed not only helps people have better prospect but also allow countries to grow economically.
Although any average citizen would find it inappropriate taking the view that greed is good, fox business interviews, Milton Friedman and Gordon Gekko’s words tend to offer a compelling

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Independent, 27 April 2010, http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/faith/greed-is-god-the-genesis-of-the-christian-share-index-1956176.html Greed is seen everywhere in almost every story plot. According to the Independent, “They say that money is the root of all evil. Or do they?” Where exactly does greed start?…

    • 1666 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Often time’s people see greed as a bad quality to have. However greed is one of the main things that keeps the companies growing. Companies’ sense of greed pushes them forward and makes them want to move ahead in their specific market. Even when this greed helps everyone, by creating new jobs or whatever it may be, people still look at the CEO’s and Board of Directors as being greedy.…

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    SOSC 2330: Political Economy of Law, Policy and Organization Take Home Mid Term Exam Fall 2014 Name: Jonah Goldrich Student ID: 212866380 T.A: Jan Krouzil Professor: Sonya Scott Date: November 3rd, 2014 Part A: 1) Homo economicus is a theoretical concept that frames humans as rational and self-interested individuals. A homo economicus must have the ability to recognize its own self-interest, and in turn act upon that self-interest. Economists have traditionally used the concept to describe a rational individual who quantifies their self-interest while enjoying true economic freedom. These concepts were central to Adam Smith’s notion of the invisible hand and economic efficiency.…

    • 2014 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People have been taught that greed is actually a good thing to have. But this is not the true nature of what makes us human. This needs to change or we can go extinct as a species. Humankinds’ basic nature is to cooperate or dominate, kingdom or democracy. The way of democracy is in nature, from deer to fish.…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is not an opportunity to satisfy personal greed.” Too much power and greed will always lead to destruction but if a person with power used it to better the lives of those below him, earth would be a better place to…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a story set in the early 1900s, in Chicago. It follows the life of a Lithuanian immigrant named Jurgis Rudkus who moved to America to start a new life and become rich. When he moves to America he is a young and strong man and gets a job at the Brown’s meat packing factory. Through all the troubles he faces he finds the idea of socialism and becomes a radical man trying to convert everyone to his new way of thinking. I think that this a very well written book about the hardness of life in that time of America’s development.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Greed is defined as intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power or food. It often has to do with wanting a lot of money or materials, but greed doesn’t always relate to money. Anytime someone wants more than their fair share or has a strong desire to get something, especially at the expense of others, they are showing greed. In the movie “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”, the Grinch was the greediest of all of the who’s. The Grinch absolutely hated Christmas, yet that was all of the who’s favorite holiday.…

    • 209 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This theme of greed is present throughout many modern day stories, such as Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, a children’s book highlighting the dangers humans pose to the environment, as well real life scenarios, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline, a controversial underground oil-bearing pipeline…

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    “There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed” ~Mahatma Gandhi. Take a glance at the world around us, our society now consists of grounds of greed and avarice. Individuals have other dreams regarding social life, money and aesthetics rather than focusing on relationships, respect, reputation and trust. The world can’t provide any more than our necessities: nature, food, fresh water and oxygen, yet people ask for more.…

    • 1689 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Although very fictional, students should begin to see how greed can take one down in reality. After watching the film, students will be given an essay prompt, typed below, that will test their ability in seeing some positive characteristics of greed amidst a film that criticizes these actions. Students should begin exploring the consequences of greed in their essay and using that in determining the benefits of greed. This will spark new conversation that we will cover with the final…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth Greed Quotes

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Greed is something you want or need to have, like power, food, wealth, but soon or later your greed will lead you to your death. Greed has been around inside humans for many years even till these days. Greed is powerful enough to make a person do horrible things and things that they’re obsessed with, that it will make you kill a king to become king. Macbeth could have been a good and loyal soldier but his greed took over and he was so obsessed of wanted to become king he killed King Duncan so he could become king. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare says that greed leads people to their death soon or later.…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Greed helped many but was also some people's worst fear. For people like Andrew Carnegie is was a great thing because his founding of the steel industry brought him great wealth. For example in today’s world we see…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Is Greed Good? The industrial revolution occurred in America during the late 1800’s. The industrial revolution brought about rapid development by the introduction of machinery. Along with the industrial revolution came greed. This poses the question, Is greed good?…

    • 339 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    David Brooks, “A Child in the Basement” and Tom Shadyac’s film I Am brought up important questions we should ask ourselves. Brooks article compel readers or message is to have his readers to think about what is being done in others to maintain their happiness and whether or not to take an action or continue to live their daily lives. Similar to Brook, Shadyac shows us and pose questions what is wrong with the world and what we can do to make it a better place. They both resonate quite well but Brook and Shadyac approaches to showing us are quite distinct.…

    • 1211 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What is greed? The most common distinction pertains to a strong and selfish desire for something, such as wealth or power. The question is, what kind of person would intentionally succumb to such a malicious concept? The notion itself appears in countless works of literature, from fiction and non-fiction alike, and stands as an extremely prominent theme that has been featured in countless collected works. However, regardless of its commonality, greed is still a sinful conception that many men and women have submitted to in both literature and life.…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays