Is money the root of all evil?

Is money the root of all evil?

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in all seriousness yes, I wholeheartedly believe that capitalism (not money per se, but the relentless pursuit of more of it, and the idea that we can only be happy by accumulating more at the expense of others) is responsible for almost everything bad in life. and it cannot be reversed. it will also result in the destruction of our planet and ultimately the human race. but at least the bankers got their bonuses xx
 
The more interesting question is ARE PEOPLE INHERENTLY GOOD OR BAD?
 
I think money and material items cause a huge amount of damage in the world, but as Vicky says, so does religion.

I'd say greed is one of the roots of all evil.
 
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What a topic.

I think what really corrupts is power and being able to subjugate others. It's a primal instinct of survival. And obviously money is a way of doing that without resorting to hitting each other over the head.
 
The actual quote from 1st Timothy is "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

Not money as such but the love of money. It's the root of a lot of evil but not all. Everything exists in degrees and nothing exists in a vacuum. I agree with @Peekaboo that the desire for power is potentially bigger but we equate money and power whereas it's more of a Venn diagram.
 
The assumption here is that 'evil' actually exists. Secularism denies an objective morality, independent of humans, so this question becomes redundant. 'Evil' is just an arbitrary human invention. In the greater scheme of the universe, someone killing another for money isn't inherently 'evil' or 'good'. It's just another random event in the life of the universe.

But even if you DO believe that morality IS independent and comes from a 'higher source' , and evil DOES exist, I think the answer is still no. People's LUST for money is the root of the evil, not the actual physical money itself.
 
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I suspect most murderers feel some degree of regret. No-one is born a murderer.
 
Inner Smile said:
Ian Brady didn't
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Providing one example isn't an argument clencher. I'd normally suggest triangulating your evidence, but the question is so far reaching and any research would likely be inconclusive due to the complexity of humans and sheer inability to reach every known murderer, let alone unknown murderers.

Of course a sample of murderers could go some way to answering the questions, but there are so many dependents, anything from what is guilt, background and circumstance of the crime, let alone access or reliability.
 
Money and power are inextricably linked. Violence was once a prime way to exemplify power. Money has always been there to fund such exploits, but has since become the ultimate way to quantify power, particularly in the capitalist age.

Let's not forget sex. Even in a room of two people there's still a power dynamic.
 
If you break down every one of our actions, it's likely that everything we do has a root in trying to survive, and obviously when interacting with other entities, the instinct of survival is to overpower the alien.

This shouldn't discourage us, though, I think. We can overcome our nature, and pretty much every human social or technological advance in history is proof that we can do it. Even at its most basic and prehistoric, humans have gathered together, lived in communities and shared food and shelter, knowing that co-operation makes the individual stronger.

Like Hepburn says in The African Queen, nature is what we're put in this world to rise above :disco: That's our challenge.
 
The fact that we as humans, have the broad goal of defying our natural primeval ritualistic instincts, kinda blows my mind. Humankind has come a long way since we found our way onto two feet. It's only natural there will be those that slip between the cracks and revert to violent means to survive.

Of course every advancement has it's unforseen consequences (religion held humanity back by centuries) and so the quest towards perfection trundles on until we ultimately build murderous robots that destroy us and take on the mantle of human destiny.
 
Peekaboo said:
If you break down every one of our actions, it's likely that everything we do has a root in trying to survive, and obviously when interacting with other entities, the instinct of survival is to overpower the alien.

This shouldn't discourage us, though, I think. We can overcome our nature, and pretty much every human social or technological advance in history is proof that we can do it. Even at its most basic and prehistoric, humans have gathered together, lived in communities and shared food and shelter, knowing that co-operation makes the individual stronger.

Like Hepburn says in The African Queen, nature is what we're put in this world to rise above :disco: That's our challenge.
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😍 That’s what I wrote in my book
 
Inner Smile said:
Like how can someone murder someone (I don't mean manslaughter)

How could somebody do that to a person and feel no regret
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There are certain people on this planet that I would happily murder, albeit from a distance with a sniper rifle, and I can assure you I would not feel even the tiniest twinge of regret.
 
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