Originally Posted by
milky
"The love of money is the root of all evil." The bible does not say that money is the root of all evil. Common misquote.
I believe that Rand... and others often take the quote out of context. Although a Theological discussion is out of the scope of this forum, the context of the original quote refers to money being an idol - the same place the quote orginates values hard work and the consequent rewards.
Money is obviously just a medium of value - and in most cases the fruit of hard work.To say 'the love of the fruit of labor(money) is the root of all evil' without context would be skipping the point.
A very good quote in Rand's text was:
"Paper is a mortgage on wealth that does not exist, backed by a gun aimed at those who are expected to produce it. Paper is a check drawn by legal looters upon an account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day when it bounces, marked, 'Account overdrawn."
The manipulation or puppeteering of money is certainly an evil. The natural value of labor will find some equilibrium somewhere.