Science and religion agree: “greed is bad”.
According to Professor Paul Zak, neuroeconomist at Claremont Graduate University:
The seven deadly sins are still deadly because they separate us from other people. They are all about putting ‘me’ first, and that is maladaptive for social creatures like us.
Greed might offer a slight evolutionary advantage (me over others) but it’s not sustainable, according to Zak.
The Gordon Gekkos are predators who take the quick payoff. They do serve a useful purpose by keeping other players on their toes and raising efficiency through competition, market participants for the most part avoid them, preferring to do business with the Warren Buffetts — hard-driving businessmen, but known for fair play and creating long-term value.
So while the Wall Street character was wildly misinterpreted (it was supposed to be a parody and social commentary on greed—not an endorsement) it goes to show that greed really ain’t good—and everyone’s on the same page about it.
