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avarice

Avarice is an excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or material possessions, often accompanied by the hoarding of money and goods. The term is closely related to covetousness and greed. Its etymology traces to Latin avaritia, from avarus meaning greedy.

In Western ethics and theology, avarice has long been condemned as a vice. It is traditionally listed

Philosophically, avarice is discussed as a failure of the virtue of liberality; virtue ethics propose a mean

Psychologically, greed or avarice is treated as a personality trait or pattern of behavior, sometimes linked

as
one
of
the
seven
deadly
sins
in
medieval
Christianity.
Similar
concerns
about
excessive
attachment
to
wealth
appear
in
other
traditions,
including
Buddhist
and
Hindu
critiques
of
greed
as
an
obstacle
to
spiritual
development.
between
prodigality
and
miserliness.
In
economics
and
political
theory,
avarice
can
be
analyzed
as
a
motive
for
accumulation
that
may
yield
societal
benefits
or
harms,
depending
on
how
wealth
is
allocated
and
used.
to
hoarding
tendencies,
fear
of
poverty,
or
loss
aversion.
In
culture,
avarice
appears
in
literature
and
art
as
a
critique
of
greed,
as
in
Dickens's
portrayal
of
Ebenezer
Scrooge.