While capitalist economy is predominating in the modern society. the issue on whether an amoral net income driven capitalist system is good for the society or non has been raised. Some believe that an amoral capitalist system is the best manner to form persons together to function the society. However. others argue that a amoral capitalist system will harm the society alternatively of benefit it. In this essay. I will be showing the position of two neoclassical economic experts. Ricky Griffin and Adam Smith. who support the thought on the amoral capitalist economy is good for the society. I will besides discourse the opposing position presented by Arthur Miller that suggests a net income thrust. amoral capitalist system will make harm to a society. Furthermore. I am traveling to compare and contrast the two position and concluded with Miller’s position Capitalism encourages concern work forces to do profitable amoral determinations will non profit our society.
While Griffin. Smith and Miller are keeping two significantly different positions. they both agree on capitalist economy is an amoral system. Harmonizing to Griffin. net income is the lone inducement for any concern to run under a capitalist system. Smith. male parent of capitalist economy. shows his apprehension of amoral capitalist economy by stating. “We address our ego. non to their humanity but to their amour propre. and ne’er talk to them of our ain necessities but to their advantages. ” ( Smith 119 ) This quote clearly illustrates that people would move out of their ain involvement alternatively of sing others under capitalist economy. Further. Miller comparison this amoral capitalist economy with barbarian animate beings when the character. Christ. says “This is a land of great large Canis familiariss. you don’s love a adult male here. out eat him! …the universe is that way…This is a menagerie. a menagerie! ” ( Miller p81 ) Although with a negative feeling and position. Miller believes capitalist economy is amoral merely every bit much as Griffin and Smith do. Furthermore. Miller suggests capitalist economy can coerce people to do amoral. profitable determination because capitalist system is an amoral net income driven system. Smith seem to a agree on Miller’s position on some grade.
Many capitalists assert the profitable determinations are efficient. and efficiency will profit society. Adam Smith claims that “a society’s involvements are best served by private enterprise–allowing single within that society to prosecute their ain interests…” ( Griffin p21 ) In the concern context. “pursue their ain interest” is best describe as maximising the net incomes of their ain companies. Griffin and Smith believe that promoting concern to maximizing net income will profit society in two ways. First of all. concern will seek their best to bring forth big sum of goods and service for net incomes because net incomes are a really strong inducement to persons within a mercenary society.
Furthermore. due to the fact that every concern is seeking to maximising net incomes. competition will originate between the concerns. In order for concerns to success. concern work forces have to do really efficient determinations and outperform others. Therefore. by being an strong inducement and making competition sum and concerns. maximizing net income aid to society accomplish a greater efficiency and make sufficient goods and service. And both Griffin and Smith imply that an amoral. opportunism. net income driven system is the outstanding support for single to do net incomes maximising determination.
Miller. on the other manus. disagree with Smith and Griffin. Miller argues that encourage concern work forces to do merely profitable determinations will non function our society. because what is good for the concern is non equal to what is good for the society. In Miller’s drama. he expresses his sentiment by utilizing a cardinal struggles that is created by Joe Keller ships out 100s and 20 cracked cylinder caputs to prolong his concern. but besides consequences the decease of 20 one pilots. Miller uses his drama to show a profitable determination. ships out cracked cylinder caputs. is non consist with the societal involvement of assisting the soldiers and winning the war.
What is even worse is that Joe Keller is been force into this immoral determination due to the competition and the demand of efficiency. Miller point out that amoral capitalist system is non merely encourages concern to do amoral determination. but coercing them to do immoral determination for their concern. Miller implies that when Joe says. “ I’m in concern. a adult male in concern ; a 100s and 20 cracked. you’re out of concern ; you got a procedure. the procedure don’t work you’re out of business…you material is no good ; them near you up. they tear up your contrast. what the hell’s it to them? ” ( Miller p69 ) This besides shows capitalist economy is a cold-blood. insensible system because nil besides affairs in capitalist economy besides concern. net income and single themselves.
Further. Miller besides suggests efficiency is non ever good for the society when Joe Keller says: “It is a Bedlam. Every half hr the Major naming for cylinder caputs. they whippin’ [ sic ] us with the telephone. The trucks were haling them off hot. darn near. I mean merely seek to see it human. see it human. All the sudden a batch comes out with a cleft. That happens. that’s the concern. a all right hairline cleft. ” ( Miller p32 ) Keller’s line obviously demonstrates the chapped cylinder caputs are resulted from “efficient” utilizing of machines to run into the demand. Miller suggests that concentrating on efficiency may take to hapless quality or in some instance the immoral. cracked merchandises.
Nowadays. China is confronting the similar jobs that is described by Miller. the 2008 China milk dirt is a perfect illustration. The China milk dirt is doing by the high demand of the infant milk’ measure and high concentration of potent. In order to run into those demand. the companies have to load the milk with poisoned chemical. cyanuramide. to bring forth milk in a greater measure every bit good as the high potent concentration. However. this action resulted over 300. 000 infants’ kidneys damaged. Therefore. with strong existent life. blooded cogent evidence. concentrating on a achieving efficiency does non ever profit society.
Another of import statement keeping by Smith and Griffin is the economic system growing which is ensuing from the profitable determination of all concerns. Griffin besides point out amoral profitable determination would assist economic system to be stabilized and diminish the unemployment. As Griffin describes. “ ( Economy growing ) . additions in the sum of goods and service produced by our ain resource. In theory. we all want our system excessively expand–more concern. more occupations. more wealth for everyone” ( Griffin p27 ) Griffin non merely believes that economic system growing will profit the society. but besides suggests that economic system growing is what everyone wanted.
Furthermore. Griffin introduces some more measurement of economic system and criterion of life. Griffin implies the GDP and GNP would mensurate the sum merchandises and service that is utile for people indicated criterion of life for people in the society. He besides strongly implicitly suggest the GDP per capital is outstanding index that shows the well being of the person within the system. In a decision. Smith and Griffin claim that is a capitalist system will take to economic system growing and would convey wealth and better criterion of life for everyone.
However. Miller argues that economic system growing does non profit the whole society. Miller besides implies that maximising net incomes for concern does non better the people’s quality of life. alternatively it increase the inequality sum people. Miller illustrate that by showing Joe Keller’s worrisome after Joe Keller has achieved his concern success. Joe is a materially rich adult male. However. when George. Joe’s partner’s boy. come to see Joe. Joe becomes worried as his married woman Kate explains. “He is worried. When he is worried we goes to sleep” ( Miller p41 ) Furthermore. Joe’s economic success males him even more wretchedness when his merely boy. Chris. turns against Joe and Joe’s amoral concern.
Miller makes it really clear that even to a concern adult male. doing net incomes and economic system growing do non convey him happiness. In add-on. Miller exhibits that economic system growing. doing net incomes and concern success may intend much less of import for a non-business adult male. such as Chris. Chris burst out. “What the snake pit do you believe I was believing of. the Goddam [ sic ] concern? Is that every bit far as your head can see. the concern? What is that. the world-the concern? …Don’t you have a state? Don’t you live in the universe? ” ( Miller p70 ) Miller besides implies that is incorrect for Smith and Griffin sing maximising net incomes as opportunisms for all concern work forces.
Miller believes capitalist economy forces work forces to do immoral determination will make struggles between business communities and the others or even between business communities and themselves. Miller demonstrates the struggle between the concern adult male. Joe. and his neighbours when Sue explains. “Who is he to destroy a man’s life? Everybody knows Joe pulled a fast one to acquire out of gaol. ” ( Miller p45 ) Furthermore. Miller presents the struggle between Joe and Chris by holding Chris criticizes. “You’re non even an animate being. non carnal putting to deaths his ain. what are you? ” ( Miller p70 ) Miller suggests that amoral determination doing make this struggle between Chris and Joe because Chris is knocking Joe’s morality and his amoral determination that Joe did non wish to do. This self struggle that Joe has is shown when Joe explains. “I didn’t want it that manner ( the immoral manner ) . either! ” ( Miller p76 ) Miller implies capitalist economy would non convey joy and felicity to society. but conveying the struggles.
Nowadays. as the argument on amoral capitalist economy is heating up. More and more people tend to hold Miller’s position in assorted grade. and believe that a concern demands to hold some moral duty other so net income devising. While many believe that corporate societal duty. besides known as CSR. is a nice solution to assist amoral capitalist economy to go moral. an article named “responsibility is good for the business” published by the Washington Post suggests that concerns which carry on societal duties would more likely to gain a greater net incomes and do better in stock market. The writer Christopher Flavelle besides presents many statistics and informations to back up his statement on CSR will assist both society and the concern. And he writes. “a figure of CSR fund directors insist that responsible behaviour helps companies’ public presentation and that a important differential becomes seeable over clip. ” ( Flavelle p2 ) as to help that concern will besides profit from CSR.
Another writer Jason Magder from The new internationalists believes that more information of all corporation become public. concern will hold to go more and more ethical. However. Magder seem to believe capitalist economy will non stand for that to go on when he says. “Capitalism worked because people couldn’t see into the kitchen” ( Magder p1 ) I argue that concern sense would ever valued over the moral sense under a capitalist system. Flavelle besides implies the same position when he says. “If they see CSR as lending to their bottom line. they’ll continue to move responsibly. If they see CSR as a sort of a PR run. they’ll likely cut back on it” ( Flavelle p1 ) However. Flavelle believe that is non matter because capitalists can do moral determination and besides acquire wages.
So many old ages after Miller and Smith. this issue on amoral capitalist economy is still being debating. I believe capitalist economy forces concern work forces to do profitable amoral determinations may non profit our society at all. However. possibly Smith is besides right on capitalist economy is the best manner to function the society before other solutions appear. And with many groundss from different states. I have to hold with Griffin and Smith that capitalist economy is efficient. However. I would merely depict capitalist economy as an insensitive. bloody. expeditiously machine that does non hold feel and moral.
The nucleus of capitalist economy is still profit driven. mercenary. and money. “money money money money. when you said it long enough it doesn’t average anything. ” ( Miller p73 ) How of import is efficiency and net incomes. when it does non convey joy and felicity to our society. How can we be good off without compassion. moral value. understanding and all that feeling that make us as human being.
