So, is the desire to want to better oneself greed? I think it is one of mankind's most primal instincts, to want to move forward and better the gene pool and better the quality of life. This is not inherently bad or evil, so greed can safely be described as neutral, neither good nor bad.
Greed is a key human condition, and has shaped society from the very start. In fact, some scholars believe that greed was the first major milestone of human success, when the first human wondered why he/she had to scrounge around for necessities; it is a part of being human to be greedy (Jefferis). Wanting a new car, to be loved by another, or to desire the feeling of well doing when feeding the needy, these are all factions of greed. There is NO circumstance where a human isn't greedy to some extent. Marxism revolves around the theory that owning property induces greed and that therefore the removal of property from a society displaces greed. The logic evolved into the Marxism System of Government that successfully lasted for a few months in the USSR before going corrupt. During its existence, Marxism eradicated the concept of ownership, but at a cost; the lack of motivation in the Marxist society made development a waste of time and production a waste of effort. This led to the corruption and eventual collapse of the government. Thus, a society without properly and efficiently integrating greed into itself will lose the power of the human condition, and thus not survive. Therefore, greed is an essential part of growth, for all societies.
Albert Einstein is regarded as the fourth most important individual in world history. He is portrayed as being sensible, honest, and selfless in his complete devotion to science. But that observation is partially skewed. If Einstein felt he was getting no gain out of his research and findings, it wouldn't be in his self-interest to continue. According to Einstein himself, one of Einstein's primary goals for doing his work was to understand "how God and his marvelous creations work (Panek).