What is Good Business?
It’s become easy to feel that all businesses are somehow bad and corrupt. Far from it. So long as they follow these six principles, any business can be good.
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March 2, 2015 @ 9:24 am
I don’t get what this video is trying to achieve. A business doesn’t have
morality. It’s up to consumers to make a right choice. Stop buying products
from businesses you see as unethical and they would go out of business. If
you are buying from Nestle, Walmart or McDonalds because it’s cheaper, then
don’t complain that the executives are not paying fair wages to their
workers. Buy from fairtrade coops and not only you support the workers, you
also support the community.
You need a video aimed at consumers. If something is cheap, can you think
of reasons as to why it is? What are the consequences of your purchase? Do
you know how many wage-slaves worked to get you your cheap stuff?
March 2, 2015 @ 9:43 am
This video obviously suggests that we should live like medieval monks –
eating just bread and water, having no desires and always looking for some
vague spiritual fulfillment. Imagine a world where there are only things
that we “trully need” – let’s remove all luxury items, cars, television,
internet etc. We’d see how much you’d like it…
How can you say that a business must be bad just because it produces
shoelaces instead of “kindness” and “meaning”? How come researching arctic
bears is more meaningful than serving in the military? This obsession with
“good”, “meaningful”, “sincere” business is a total waste of time. Please
consider the fact that human is a very flawed animal, who has desires,
greed, jealousy, spontaneous bursts of passion and love. Then consider your
thoughts on “kind” and “perfect” society and try to create a more realistic
branch of philosophy
March 2, 2015 @ 9:46 am
Bruh, you can’t blame the corporations for everything, the general public
goes out willingly to buy these useless things, music, movies, junk food,
video games, nice clothes. All opiates of the masses, they keep people
asleep and stop him from doing what needs to be done. These corporations
would have no power if we decided to control our greed rather than control
others.
March 2, 2015 @ 9:52 am
In this presentation, it seems that Capitalists are aptly represented by
Tony Stark ??
March 2, 2015 @ 10:00 am
There are fundamental flaws to capitalism you are failing to address, and
the billion chronically hungry people in the world would tell you needs are
not being met. If you truly care about public health, ecological
sustainability, and social stability, you must realize market economies are
untenable. We currently have the science and technology to make the world a
much better place for billions of people; unfortunately our social,
economic, and political patterns are stuck in the past.
March 2, 2015 @ 10:25 am
How does one distinguish between a need and a desire? Initially, your point
seems to cover only things like food and shelter based on the graphics
since none were mentioned in narration. Later, you do talk about other
needs like creativity so art would be understood as a need? A bit more
clarity would be appreciated.
March 2, 2015 @ 11:01 am
I think to classify corporations who want to meet human’s want rather than
need as evil and bad isn’t right. It is natural for human to have both want
and need, if we just live our lives based on needs we wouldn’t go this far
in innovation and such. When it comes to excessive want (which is bad), it
is more about consumers’ fault. This is where “mindfulness” should come in
people’s lives so they can realise it themselves.
Corporations are bad when they pollute the environment, exploit labour,
harm others etc. So “How they make their products” should be the thing that
matters rather than “What products they sell” when evaluate the good and
bad of businesses.
March 2, 2015 @ 11:09 am
This video serious got me thinking to unsubscribe. What’s with this s*it?
You want all companies to be selling only needs because that’s what Tyler
Durden told you? Don’t blame the sellers, blame the buyers. And who is to
say if a smartphone or a car represents a need or a convenience?
March 2, 2015 @ 11:22 am
Great video! So, just to be clear, are you suggesting a policy change or a
change in the attitude of consumers to bring this shift about?
March 2, 2015 @ 12:03 pm
I love the videos on this channel but this makes distinctions between
desires and needs when really it doesn’t quite address what we need once we
have satisfied the obvious requirements for life. Sure we don’t need coffee
in order to survive, but surviving isn’t really a philosophical activity.
So do we NEED coffee or speakers or anything without a direct link to
making you a better person? I say yes because in the words of Wilde,
“Variety is the spice of life”. Having a more colourful palate of
activities/sensations which many businesses that you would put under
‘seductive’ and ‘exploiting our desires’ provide, is a good thing for
society, less we want a greyscale puritanism to govern our every decision.
I’m genuinely interested in a response by the way. Cheers.
March 2, 2015 @ 12:38 pm
Your first argument has an awful implicit proposition
“We aren’t really good at knowing what’s good for us.”
(implicit) Businesses know what’s good for us
Therefore businesses should act in the correct moral way.
A business is a collection of us. You defeat your own argument.
March 2, 2015 @ 12:47 pm
I really like and support that these ideas should become reality, but how?
People just don’t realize how far their attitudes could influence and don’t
change their minds often. If must people realize how weird, full of
illusion and complex reality is, Facebook wouldn’t be so full of people.
Sorry if I look a little pessimistic…
March 2, 2015 @ 12:57 pm
Capitalism is about the power of the individual over other people,
Socialism is about the power of the people over themselves.
March 2, 2015 @ 1:03 pm
How is a just price possible within capitalism if the very foundation of
the free market is that it is regulated solely by supply and demand, Mr.
Botton? It is honorable that you analyze what we should be trying to
achieve with our economy and try to win over those people who are afraid of
a revolution in our system, it is just that in my eyes this is a lot more
utopian than those envisioning a better society based on a system that is
not based on making a profit, because instead of focusing on the root of
the problems you try to cure the symptoms. I’m confident that you will not
change your aim to be a moderate philosophy channel (of an extraordinary
quality, I have to add) that appeals to a large number of people rather
than a radical one, where radical is intended with the true meaning of the
word “radix” = root, I just wanted to let you know where I do not agree
with the solutions that are being proposed. This being said, I admire you
and the work you do a lot. Have a nice evening!
March 2, 2015 @ 1:28 pm
I am a bit confused by the distinction of ‘need’ vs. ‘want.’ Do you mean
that ‘wants’ seek things that are non-essential for fulfillment?
March 2, 2015 @ 1:42 pm
mostly reacting to comments
1. Goodness, as presented in some comments, is not leaving all material
goods and comfort for a spiritual journey, but a means to the end of
happiness, also called eudaimonia by the old greeks.
2. We shouldn’t shy away to distinguish between wants and needs and that
one is superior to the other, since wants are only needs in disguise.
3. I do not accept that business people receive salvation from all moral
duties only because they sell you stuff. Not only the consumer is
responsible to make informed, moral choices but also the company is,
especially those who can afford it to be moral. Companies are people (or
only in election times?)
4. I think it would be hard for nowadays economy in western countries to
shift gears and only produce things which we “truly” need, since our
economies are largely dependend on artifical desires such as smartphones.
We would have trouble to maintain our level of employement, and I think the
basic income is still a long while away.
5. stop being nice to the haters. its like trying to cure cancer with
smiling. you cant cure ignorance just by being nice
March 2, 2015 @ 2:37 pm
I don’t seem to understand what was it that they mean when they said in
their website that they were an unideological organization…………….
geeze!!
March 2, 2015 @ 2:38 pm
The worst part is i don’t believe for a second these guys themselves live
as these medieval monks they pretend us to do
March 2, 2015 @ 2:49 pm
Here’s my list:
1: only buy things which are morally and sustainably sourced
March 2, 2015 @ 3:28 pm
I sense a bit of confused symbolism at 5:15 when the “moral capitalist”
shows an act of kindness by giving an ice cream to a child, which is
something earlier established as a “desire” and not a “need.”
March 2, 2015 @ 3:32 pm
You have mastered seduction and goodness.
March 2, 2015 @ 4:42 pm
How can you distinguish need from desire? The only needs as they are
traditionally defined are food/water, shelter, clothing. Does the “school
of life” business present a need or a desire? I don’t feel I need your
services but I can see how they might be valuable, therefore you are also
technically exploiting desire, any definition of need, if you disagree with
the above will be taken as a purely subjective interpretation of “need”
March 2, 2015 @ 4:48 pm
You can’t modify a system that has profit at its base, and just giveit a
human face. It will not fix it. We must accept the option of radical
emancipatory change. Capitalists have the one role of making profit. The
fact that we need to regulate their actions proves the fundamental flaws of
the system. I’m not trying to thorw porpaganda around, I’m just showing an
alternative.
March 2, 2015 @ 5:05 pm
I believe the ONLY social responsibility for a business is to maximize
profits without breaking the law. In a free market, the only way to get
money is to serve people’s demand while using resources efficiently. And
therefore, businesses that make the most profit are either satisfying more
people or reducing resources waste or both, and that’s good enough.
Now if you think that a lot of what businesses sell are bullshit remember
that whenever there is demand for something, businesses are there to serve.
So the problem _ if there is any_ lies in people demanding it, NOT in
businesses satisfying this demand.
Anyways, i don’t see anything wrong or evil in buying or selling desires.
In a lot of developed countries, a small percentage of the population
producing basic needs is enough to cover the whole population. Others will
produce less basic things since it doesn’t make sense to overproduce food.
I think both farms and strip clubs are legitimate businesses and are
equally good. They both have customers and employees that are better off
having the business existing, as they buy their products or services or
work there voluntarily, and that’s good enough.
March 2, 2015 @ 5:23 pm
I not sure I understand the first part. Only businesses that serve our
‘needs’ are moral. But you have just indicated how difficult it is for us
to distinguish need from want. What constitutes a need? Isn’t that terribly
subjective? Do I ‘need’ to buy the latest album from my favourite musician?
Go out and have a couple drinks with friends? Do I ‘need’ to go on a
holiday with my partner? All seem terribly important to my emotional
well-being, while these things may be unimportant or frivolous to others.