Keynote: Is Greed Good?

I was thrilled to travel to Singapore to deliver the annual Ngee Ann Kongsi lecture at Singapore Management University.

Synopsis: 
For centuries, Christian theology cast greed and avarice as grave moral failings, corrosive both to the soul and to society. Yet in modern economic thought, a radical reimagining took hold: greed and self-interest were no longer merely vices to suppress, but engines of productivity, innovation, and wealth. How did this shift occur and what does it mean for us today? This lecture recalls the theological and philosophical origins of the idea of beneficial self-interest, as it both used and departed from earlier Christian moral teachings. We examine what “greed” and “self-interest” mean and ask whether they bring satisfaction, fulfillment, and communal connection. We also consider visions of economic life involving cooperation, reciprocity, and mutual flourishing, exploring alternatives to zero-sum competition and the possibility of more humane and sustainable forms of exchange.