Greed

Selfishness and greed have been our tools of survival from the very beginning, ever since our earliest forebears climbed down from the trees and set off across the savannah in search of God. Evolution has given us an instinct that is as crucial to our survival as fear or sex but, in the third millennium, greed has become a juggernaut that is steering out of control. The world cannot go on fulfilling the demands we make of it but the juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing down. And yet we can still appreciate the genius of those whose ambitions have created works of art, gourmet food, and brilliant technologies. Spanning across a whole range of issues including obesity, American evangelism, the Iraq war, and GM food, Greed is not just a lament for lost innocence or an assault on the fat cats—it's also a celebration of all that greed has prompted us to achieve. It began as a primitive instinct but greed has become a driving force so powerful it is capable of over-riding everything in its path.

Richard Girling is a senior feature writer for the Sunday Times magazine. He was awarded the title Journalist of the Year for two years in a row at the Press Gazette Environmental Press Awards 2008 and 2009. He has also been named Specialist Writer of the Year< at the UK Press Awards in 2002 and was also shortlisted for this award in 2005 and 2006.