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things, relative value, and encompasses the entire gamut of an individual's principles.

When we consider wealth it is incumbent upon us to consider everything that is of value to the individual, not just material possessions. Everyone holds values other than the material, and all will hold their values differently in relation to the other things that they value. And an individual's values will change over time. At one point in one's life a person might hold the accumulation of material wealth as their utmost value. At another point, or for another individual, their family might come before anything else and they will choose to pursue less material wealth in order to have a strong family. Some value the work they do regardless of financial return while others would give up a significant amount of earnings to allow for more leisure time.

Wealth, itself, is the relative position of all of the values held by any individual. Profit comes from investing some values to receive greater value in return. If one values leisure time over work time and financial reward and one chooses to work fewer hours, and earn fewer dollars, and receives greater leisure time in return one has profited. If a person values family they may choose to spend enormous amounts of material wealth to raise children, but they have still profited by receiving a value that is, to them, greater than that which they spent.

Of course, one can use immoral means to increase values. However, if force or fraud is used to increase one's own values at the expense of others, this isn't profit. This is theft. Theft is immoral.

We can see, as long as the individual is held to be important, profit is always moral. In fact, it may be the greatest moral good possible.

There are creeds that hold that society, as a whole. is more important than the individual. Other beliefs hold that some individuals are more important than other individuals. In these systems the increase in the values held by each individual are generally held to be irrelevant and those that hold such beliefs might consider individual profit as immoral.

However, the principles on which the United States was founded were based on the European Enlightenment, which rejects such collectivist or elitist outlooks entirely. And, from a utilitarian point of view, it can be held that the principles of individual equality and autonomy have lead to the greatest increase in wealth, growth in values, in the shortest period of time, in all of history.

There is definitely a danger in the pursuit of money, at the expense of other values, being immoral. However, when every individual is free to pursue their own values, profit through a free market system can be the most moral activity one could pursue.

Learn more about this author, Keith Hamburger.
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