The Morality of Profit

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The free market needs and deserves a moral defense.

The Atlas Network has partnered with the John Templeton Foundation on a new and important project -- The Morality of Free Enterprise -- that will build on the Templeton Foundation's online conversation, "Does the Free Market Corrode Moral Character?"

The Atlas Network's 2011 Morality of Free Enterprise initiative focuses attention on the moral component of freedom by showing that free enterprise both depends on and reinforces morality.

Produced by Matthew Szewczyk

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[09jake12]

@queerveganliberal Monopolies are only possible through the government backing of physical force. Any business, big or small, cannot corner the market or force you to purchase their products, on the other hand, a government can use physical force to get you to pay taxes and fund imperialist wars. Big bank bailouts were done through the GOVERNMENT. Profits are not evil, the use of physical force is evil. Sweatshops? Your computer has parts made in one. Stop supporting it.

[WikeddTung]

@T "In free markets, you benefit yourself by providing benefits to others, or they won't buy your products and enrich you."

this is pure fantasy. there has never been any such thing as a "free" market. EVERY gov't has ALWAYS intervened (either through protectionism or conquest) in order to create private profit. further, what is human nature & REAL HISTORY is to attempt by some means to SOCIALIZE investment, development & risk, to then turn around & privatize profit. it's how the USA was made

[HaloAngelBoy]

Also there are a numerous highly compensated destructive practices in the world, people derive profits from killing for example. You forget that business owners (the ones who put in no labour) only get value by not paying workers the full value of what they've produced, bill gates billions is the results of 1000s of software developers' work, none of them got billions for their labour, despite its market value. But I suppose this video just likes to gloss over the bad sides of capitalism.

[HaloAngelBoy]

So many bad assumptions, where to start ... for example people trade cash for products because the mental correlation between cash and hours of labour have been lost. Also you do not mention when someone doesnt have a choice, such as food, shelter, clothing. if greedy people own all of the farm land, then nobody has a choice other than pay the price or die. Microsoft forced their products on people by ensuring that nearly all hardware sold in the market had his Operating system on it.

[AustrianCenterAEC]

Great video!!

[shoelessjoe2555]

@WikeddTung True, he described how free markets are supposed to work. And he didnt describe how it actually works. But whos fault is it that it does not work how its SUPPOSED to work? The governement. If the government kept their hands out of the private sector, then it would work how its supposed to. So, profit still isnt evil, but its the government and government meddling that is evil.

[Solverwiz]

In America, the best investment a corporatist can make is hiring lobbyists and sending them to Washington. As long as that continues, America will continue on its stunted path.

[MrBigEnchilada]

what about companies who profit through polluting the environment in some 3rd world country and does not account or pay the costs of these pollutions?

[09jake12]

@Pomme843 You just defined what statism already does and is....we already know our statist system is built on lies and propaganda. I think you're confusing me with a republican or something. I don't believe that there should be a government in which to lobby in the first place. The only legitimate purpose of government is to protect people's rights. Government intervention in voluntary trade is immoral and irrational.

[grinfcked]

What about the profit from insurances that pay a company a hughe amount of money in case an employee dies? According to this video, it's moral. But is it really moral if an employee is worth more money to the employer if he or she is dead? And let's not forget that aggressive marketing and binding contracts have a lot to do with the success and money mongering of some companies.

[Pomme843]

@09jake12 And when it does happen? What then? The corporation might try to buy the populace by playing on nationalistic, religious, or other sentiments, and make the people "feel good" about the corporations and its symbols, visions and slogans. This will make the people even more susceptible to its messages, and in time, those messages may have political, ideological subtexts. Further, the corp. may lobby, buy scientific data and analysis to conform it's own interests: power = responsibility