Is this right or wrong? "Money is the root of all evil"?

Question

Yes. LT. I just wanted to know how people would interpret the cliche' as it is presented. Thanks anyway.

Answer 1

Wrong.

Money is just a tool of convenience in modern life. Evil things happened in civilization even before humans invented money.

It is human intention on what to do with the money (or any other units of wealth) that could be the root of all evil. Not the money itself.

Another argument against it is that we can do a lot of good things with money; help people, animals, etc. Money is always just a tool.

Answer 2

Literally, of course, it's wrong. Evil is an intent. Evil must therefore stem from something capable of forming intent. Money is not capable of forming intent, so it cannot be the root of evil.

However, let us allow some tolerance for literary license and go to the meaning of the statement.

Money is often reported to be the root of all evil because it is considered relatively common for people to do evil in the hopes that it will make them richer. In this case, we have a situation of undeniable hyperbole, but one would likely be able to persuade most people that much evil has been performed with the intent of making the evildoer richer.

Having said that, even allowing for an interpretation of its meaning, the statement is wrong. Evil deeds are performed for a great many reasons. Greed for money is but one.

Answer 3

Nope, it's twice wrong. The quote is supposed to be "greed for money is the root of all evil." But it's not. Greed, for money or anything else, gets tickled up like a sneeze whenever we get something for nothing. That's why people think lotteries are immoral. They are, and for that reason.

But greed itself is not that big a deal, certainly there are many other "roots" of evil.

Answer 4

The Love of money is the root of all evil

Answer 5

In capitalism, especially today, I would agree.
The influx of capitalism around the turn of the 19th century and especially with modern mass media have really targeted people to feed on their individual desires.
That is, mass media not only enhances pre-existing wants and desires on a personal, individual level, but also creates them for us.

The modern notion of "good" is very similar to the Feudalistic notion of good- power, nobility, property owners, etc.
It was the Christian church that actually turned that feudalistic accepted moral standard on its head- preaching humbleness, selflessness, equality, etc. which in turn became the accepted morality for nearly 2000 years- and not a bad moral set to live by.

Modern capitalism is changing that back. Desire, want, need, are coming back to the forefront. Credit, and credit cards have allowed us to overspend, and sink ourselves into these created needs. The people once again we consider successful or good, are those with money and property, etc. We envy, we lust, we become individual once again, negating our sense of universality amongst men.....

Look at the lottery winners....always a sad story. Suicide, drugs, bankruptcy.....money is the root of all evil.

Answer 6

That is wrong. Money is not the root. The LOVE of money is the root, because then GREED enters and evil is the fruit.

Answer 7

In the sense that greed is the root of all evil, but money is the way to have anything that greed wants.

Answer 8

The phrase is actually "Love of money is the root of all evil." The inanimate object "money" cannot contain evil, but the way humans behave when influenced by money is what the phrase is about.

Answer 9

Actually its not money itself but the blind pursuit of money that is the root of most evil. Like most cliches there is truth to it but not in absolute terms.

Answer 10

right....money usually starts most of the killing and suicide. its either wanting money or not having enough. But if money is in the right hands then that statement is wrong, like a lot of things, people want money, and will literally kill to get some. If all people had enough money and weren't jealous of other people the statement would be wrong.