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The pursuit of profit is moral

Profit is the objective that brings an enterprise into existence and makes people run it efficiently. more importantly, profit also leads to production - that same production which we consume and without which life will be difficult . Profits makes economic activity happen, and that is the most important thing that improves social welfare. It makes people do what they can for our society's development and the best part is that they do it not as charity but as a perfectly selfish rational activity.

This is the beauty of profit, and this is also the answer to all doubts about its morality.

If there is no profit, no one would do any business, nor would anyone indulge in any trade or manufacturing. Without the incentive of profit, the human history would have most likely taken a turn in some direction that would have not lead to the development of modern civilization and its achievements in the fields of science, technology and industrialization.

Yet, if we need to discuss the moral aspects of profit, then there must be something that suggests that profit is associated with something sinful. Most of the time that 'something', which casts aspersions on the very concept of profit, is 'greed'. When we feel uncomfortable from the existence of profit, we are actually disturbed by the greed that is associated with it, and which can cause harm if left uncontrolled.

However, profit is not necessarily a result of greed. The two things are very different, and though a greedy person can be hell bent to make profits at any cost, we need to understand that the real problem is that person's greed not the profit itself.

Just like violence by a soldier of an army is not a result of his anti-social traits or cruel nature, profits need not be abhorred as exploitation of others. Just like it is perfectly moral for a soldier to kill an attacking enemy, just like one cannot and should not blame a judge for issuing a death sentence, and just like it is perfectly fine for a teacher to stretch her students to their limits to maximise their learning, it is perfectly fine for an entrepreneur or a manager to maximise the profits of her business concern.

In a capitalist economy, development depends upon creation of capital, and capital can only be created by profits. Thus the process of profit making is directly linked with whatever we understand by the term 'development'. Had there never been any profit, there would never be any industry. The discoveries of scientists and technologists would never


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The pursuit of profit is moral

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