These are just a few of the questions people raise about greed, selfishness, and self-interest

Tough Questions about 

Greed, Selfishness, and Self-Interest

By DR. ART LINDSLEY

How do you legislate good behavior? Is it possible to legislate in such a way that people are incentivized to serve others instead of themselves?

These are just a couple of the tough questions I’ve been asked in response to my previous writings on the difference between selfishness and self-interest in our lives, especially in business. 

This past Friday I had the opportunity to speak about C.S. Lewis, selfishness, and self-interest to a group of Capitol Hill staffers as part of the Faith & Law lecture series.

The main points of my talk were that:

• There is a tension between legitimate self-interest and selfishness.
• Self-denial, not selfishness, is in our self-interest.
• Business need not be always primarily driven by greed. 
• It is possible for businesses to be motivated by a desire to serve their customers.

These points prompted many thoughtful questions from the audience. You may have some of the same ones. I’ve listed some of the more challenging questions below, along with the answers I gave.

How do you legislate in such a way that incentivizes good behavior so that people serve others and not themselves?

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