Is it bad to want to be rich? | The Gray Area
Is wanting to be rich selfish? Does making money require exploiting other people? Or can the pursuit of wealth actually benefit society?
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In this episode, guest host Sally Herships speaks with philosopher Jason Brennan about his book, “Why It’s OK to Want to Be Rich.” Jason makes the case that both wanting money and earning money are signs that we’re creating value for society. In this conversation, they explore why society believes money corrupts relationships, what wealthy individuals owe to society, and the cultural differences around money and wealth.
This episode was produced in partnership with Vox’s Future Perfect.
00:00 Intro
03:19 Wanting to be rich is good for society
14:27 Capitalism, winners, and losers
24:43 Wealth, taxes, and banking
34:25 Does capitalism require exploitation?
39:57 What do the rich owe society?
Host: Sally Herships, journalist and director of the audio program at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. (Find Sally’s work here).
Guest: Jason Brennan, professor of philosophy and public affairs at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
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@PaulJolicoeur-f6z
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
The whole system is built on the burning of fossil fuels, extraction and exploitation that are destroying our environment,so every dollar is a petro dollar. Therefore the more you have the more complicit you are in that negative feed back loop. The only good billionaires are dead billionaires.
@zackcrow1776
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
Its okay to want money if you dont have it. It isnt okay to want more money when you already have more that enough, especially if it comes at the expense of others
@RegalNomad
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
It all depends on which version of profit/prophet you are in search of. The one that means more to you will determine your fate.
@Ximena-4l
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
"Wanting to be rich is good for society" says the corporation ..
@RolandMindUser
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
Wealth and time happiness. Giving people more free time to improve happiness.
Would it be impossible for God to save 99 percent of all people?
If a person is at death's door, could God explain all history of religions and bible.(Time stopped)
@muhazreen
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
We could try denying zero sum. But no one can deny thermodynamic conservation law.
"If slavery were legal, price will drop since no more labout cost"
No it wont, we still paying same price while corpo reap the slavery profit
Just look at choclate industry, look at poor cocoa worker
@kamrynduplessis1997
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
why is a liberal outlet like vox using the word "schizophrenic" as an adjective in 2026… knowing its the single most stigmatized mental health condition. very strange
@joejoey7272
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
If I was rich I wouldn’t feel guilty about it and would be unapologetic
@hydrated-u3s
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
I still didn't understand the point how imperialism by Europeans on their colonial countries didnt make them rich but just few individuals? So then how did west grew rich?
@luthfiyyahdamayani6168
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
Yes, it is okay to be rich. What’s not okay is when only a small elite gets rich while the rest are struggling. And for many people, the discomfort they feel is also real, as a result of economic inequality.
If we were all rich and economic inequality were low, we probably wouldn’t feel guilty. But can we actually make that happen?
@jessetorres8738
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
I once saw this image that said that if someone lived for 80 years and earned an average of $5,000.00 every day of their life, they still wouldn't be a billionaire, but rather have about $146,000,000.00. At the bottom of the image was a line that said that no one works to become a billionaire. So yeah, we should be taxing multi millionaire & billionaire individuals & corporations in this country more then we currently are! And if you want to argue that taxes shouldn't be raised on billionaires & corporations, how can you defend them when they send their U.S. dollars to other countries so they can't be taxed & help fund domestic programs to help poor people here in The U.S.?
@jessetorres8738
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
I did the math & adjusted for inflation the minimum wage being $7.25 in 2009 would be $11.20 in 2026 (or about $23,300 a year), which would still be too low to be considered a livable wage today.
@rosemulet
October 5, 2026 at 12:59 pm
"Wanting to be rich is good for society" says the corporation