Quote:
Originally Posted by Toy Soldier
Are we naturally inclined to be these things, though, or are those things the products of the type of societies we are raised in? Are people greedy because we're being bombarded with "things", and the idea that we SHOULD want "more", that "having more" than others is an indication of success in life.
Or do those societal values arise naturally because we DO have some sort of "instinct for greed", related to primal urges to gain and hold territory, and survival instinct. That "having more" for ourselves and our own small group = higher likelihood of survival.
Then again that's really just something to think about out of curiosity, because if it's where we are now, it doesn't really matter "why" I suppose.
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I believe there is a natural inclination to hoard assets in the same way that you would store a harvest for harder times and that the modern consumer society plays on that and amplifies it, so yes, I think we have become greedy but I believe we were pre-disposed to become greedy.
Thatcher deliberately played on peoples desire for material wealth and in turn, those who reveled in this new consumer environment made others feel like failures if they couldn't afford these goodies.
We could ask; are we programmable? (I think that's an easy one)
A tougher question is; What is the essence of human nature?