Tag: Selfishness
-
Self-Interest is Not Selfishness
Adam Smith's Lost Legacy: Self-Interest is Not Selfishness … “Greg Baldwin said… Thanks for the comment. Secretly I want to believe that self interest and selfishness can be neatly distinguished, but I'll confess quotes like this from our friend Mr. Smith have not helped me to find the clear distinction: "It is not from the…
-
Theologians and Economists: Self-Interest Versus Selfishness
[Series Index] “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This injunction is mentioned once in the Old Testament (Lev. 19:18), and seven times in the New Testament (Matt. 19:19, 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8) It is the core Christian ethic for relating to others. The antithesis of loving others is selfishness.…
-
Best of It: The Story and the Mission (Part 4)
[Series Index] We continue Chapter Six, "The Story and the Mission," in John Stackhouse's' Making the Best of It. Yesterday we ended with this observation by Stackhouse: Implicit in this vision of the New Jerusalem and fundamental to the Christian ethos is what I call the principle of "win-win-win." Shalom is an all-embracing life of…
-
Adam Smith On Selfishness and Public Spirit
Adam Smith's Lost Legacy: Adam Smith On Selfishness and Public Spirit Roland Patrick states in his piece: “Well over two centuries ago Adam Smith explained, in Wealth of Nations, how the public got what they needed, and it wasn't usually through 'public service'. It was by appealing to the selfish interests of producers of food,…
-
Self-Interest and Benevolence: Partners, not Antonyms (Part 1)
Self-Interest vs. Selfishness Benevolence is a central theme of Christian ethics. Giving is considered one of the highest virtues. The antithesis of benevolence is selfishness. A central element of market economies is self-interest. Therefore, market economics is antithetical to Christian living, right? This is the logic presented by many Christian social justice advocates looking for…
-
Benevolence vs. Free Market
The following is an interesting passage from David Cowan's book Economic Parables: The Monetary Teachings of Jesus Christ. The gospel is a gift given to us – something that is precious but yet costs us no money – which leads us to ask whether it thus subverts the human economy. At the risk of deconstructing…
-
Self Interest and Selfishness
Adam Smith's Lost Legacy: Self Interest and Selfishness … [Adam] Smith had a fine sense of history and he knew the difference between self interest and selfishness. In fact, he gives over 70 other instances in the Books I, II, and III of Wealth Of Nations where individuals exercising their the self interest had consequences…
-
Economic Fallacies: “Capitalism Based on Greed”
The "Capitalism Based on Greed" fallacy says that greed and selfishness are inherent in capitalism. The assertion that capitalism is based on greed and selfishness is one of the most common fallacies. This fallacy has many layers, but we must first acknowledge that greed exists within capitalism, just as it does in every economic system!…
-
Capitalism, Adam Smith and the Sentiments
One of the most persistent errors repeated about capitalism is that capitalism is based on greed. Are there greedy, selfish people who use capitalism to their advantage? You bet! Greed and selfishness are part of the human condition and will be reflected in any economic system. This is not the question. The question is whether…
-
Theology and Economics: Self Interest
One of the most frequently propagated economic myths is that free market capitalism is founded on selfishness or greed. I can't count the number of commentators and teachers saying Adam Smith based his economic thinking on selfishness. As we all know, selfishness is anathema to the Christian life. Therefore, we should condemn, or at least…