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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Re: Public vs private institutions
Message-ID: <7710@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 26-Feb-87 15:39:17 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.7710
Posted: Thu Feb 26 15:39:17 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 26-Feb-87 15:39:17 EST
References: <192@fornax.uucp> <860@ubc-cs.UUCP> <864@ubc-cs.UUCP> <867@ubc-cs.UUCP>, <5426@watmath.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 35

> Now if you were in the hospital and the doctor was about to
> open you up for repairs would you rather the doctor be
> motivated by:
> 
> 	a: Greed
> 	b: Altruism

If what he really wants to do is benefit mankind by doing cancer research,
and he's stuck making petty repairs to one lousy body after another while
he waits for a job opening in the research wing, look out.  I'd rather have
a doctor who did a workmanlike job because I was paying him well and he
wanted me for a repeat customer.

Note that I didn't say greed was better than altruism, I said it was more
reliable.

> Now if you were going to the polling station to vote for a
> leader, would rather vote for the leader motivated by:
> 
> 	a: Greed
> 	b: Altruism

I'd be tempted to vote for (a).  Altruists in positions of power scare me,
because they'll betray their best friend if somebody convinces them that
it's for the good of humanity.

> So we come to the final point, beyond being one of the seven
> deadly sins, what is greed good for anyway?

Motivating people to undertake insignificant and unimportant tasks like
building and maintaining civilizations.  Or important jobs like cleaning
floors and hauling away the trash.
-- 
Legalize			Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
freedom!			{allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry