The Morality of Profit

Please RATE and SUBSCRIBE! For more information visit www.atlasnetwork.org/morality

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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  Nonprofits & Activism

[Jake L]

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.

[Tom Palmer]

You'll find a lack of property rights behind polluted rivers, ruined rainforests, fishless oceans, offshore oil spills, etc. And we can thank the state for war, bank bailouts, etc. You need to think a little more on these issues. The desire to benefit oneself is universal -- under fascism, socialism, capitalism, etc. It's the incentives that matter. In free markets, you benefit yourself by providing benefits to others, or they won't buy your products and enrich you.

[ravechahal]

buying drug by a drug addict is also a volunteer transaction! Please comment

[aeothegreat]

profit is only excess money made due to an overpricing of a product and the underpaying of those whom make it.

[miruz19]

when somebody tells you 'i got rich through hard work' remember to ask 'whose?'.

[mckheu]

what about bill his monsanto-gmo/doubtable-vaccina­tions investments ?

Isn't that profiting , with disregard to

Pollution of land and people's health ?

[Mike Graf]

Im not trying to disagree with you. But please share some facts that will help "open" our eyes.. Thanks.

[Mike Graf]

I use a linux variant actually. I definitely have thought carefully about profits, profit motive etc. I think I actually agree to some extent with this video. The ideal volunteerism, the ideal equal footing could create a totally moral and fair system may indeed be moral. However key parts of business involve ensuring unequal grounds for businesses vs consumers, they have better lawyers, brain wash machines (advertising), patent laws and other tools designed to extract the most possible.

[23lFrench]

It's just moving money around, the more resources a business man uses, the poorer others are... It's pretty simple really. No wealth is created, the money was just moved from the bottom to the top.

[SirSlasher33]

Did you watch the video? He explained that profits made at the expense of others due to pollution are immoral because it is an involuntary transaction.

[William Hoang]

(cont) I assume you are using a windows OS at this moment or maybe even a Mac OSX it doesn't matter you have benefited from what these brilliant men have contributed to society. So think carefully when you decide to criticise capatilism, think about what it has provided for you.

[William Hoang]

Killing violates property rights, people are entitled to their life, if it is taken forcibly from them that isn't free markets. No one puts a gun to those workers heads they believe that the job they perform is the best option when weighing up other alternatives. Bill Gates had the entrepreneurship and business acumen to spot a gap in the market that all those other software engineers couldn't therefore he was rewarded greatly, look what he has done for society