Does money corrupt, or is money attractive to questionable people?
I was gonna include a third option about how money is easier to achieve without considering the morality of your actions but that's not really a philosophy as much as it is an objective fact.
Corrupt people will do anything to further their aims, not corrupt people will stop if the most effective thing is immoral. This video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQlnmWCPgA ) is very on point for this question.
I'd say it's this entirely. Honest people don't seek money, but if they see their peers getting grapes instead of cucumbers for literally no just cause, then that injustice cannot go unanswered unless they get their grapes too.
Interesting question! I think money can definitely attract people who are already shady, but it can also change people's behavior who might start off with good intentions. Plus, there's always the pressure to succeed, which can make folks bend the rules a bit. Guess it's a mix of both, depends on the person.
For every asshole billionaire there’s at least one millionaire you’ve never heard of, giving money away and never trying to have too much to themselves. At least, I’d like to believe that.
Anything in where there is a motive for competition, will attract questionable people, especially if competition would not benefit the general populace.
Money creates competition by having something to rank others by. How much they earn or own. Whoever creates the source of wealth, has the power to hoard it.
It is thus necessary, that for example landowners should be unable to monetise their land; instead, what they produce, should be a public good for everyone.
In this world, money is power, and power absolutely does corrupt people.
I've seen a lot a fair amount of people that started off with humble beginnings, got really popular, made a ton of money, and turned into shitbags as a result because they can just fork up a bunch of cash to make problems go away.
Money and power enables you to get away with immoral stuff, if not straight up illegal.
Both. Money attracts corrupt individuals, but it also causes people to become corrupted in some scenarios. It can be a gradual thing, and it doesn't always have to be drastic things like a black market kidney. Having money opens up options, some of which are more corrupt.
The Mode of Production determines what ideas and traits are more expressed among society. The Base determines the Superstructure, which in turn reinforces the Base.
Ok yes but this makes no sense to someone with zero background in marxist theory.
This is what is being referenced ^
This means that the values of a society are determined by the economic structure but also that these values then reinforce that structure. So you end up with societal values that closely allign with whatever best reinforces the base. In the case of capitalism that is typically greed. So no, money alone doesn't corrupt people or make them greedy but the economic system that money facilitates does.
This is a very moral framing, maybe even a Christian-adjacent one, which I don’t think is helpful. Historical materialism, which other commenters are working from, is an amoral framing.
Speaking of morality & philosophy, here’s prof. Hans-Georg Moeller:
I grew up near an area where a large number high net worth people. For example as a kid I thought Lamborghini was a common car because I saw them all the time.
In my experience lots of money brings out your true self and let's you act the way you want. So if you are inclined to be self centered and an asshole you can be a massive asshole. You can also be generous and kind.
Most rich people are pretty normal. However the normal ones do try to not make it known that they are rich. So you often don't notice the normal rich people.
It's also hard to tell the difference between a person who lives on a 200k a year income and a person with a double digit millions net worth.
I had a friend as a teen. I invited him to go diving with me as he had never been. He showed up with a 20k wetsuite.