by Whitney J. Davis
Daily Lobo columnist
Is business really evil?
I have argued both sides of this debate and feel now is the time to take a stand. The answer to this question is a clear no. Business is not evil. Some people are evil. Businesses cannot make decisions, exploit people or steal on their own; it is only the people within businesses who have the ability to act. The corporation, as a whole, is nothing more than an idea. It's time we start to look at the institution of business separately from individual businesses and, further, individual people.
Without a doubt, we need business, and at its core it is far from evil. In simple terms, business is the exchange of goods or services for something of value. Today, that value is expressed by money. In looking at this basic explanation, there is obviously nothing inherently evil about business. It has as its sole requirement that something of value must always be exchanged for something else of value. It doesn't get any more fair and just than that.
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Today, people charge businesses with being greedy profit-seekers. How has the U.S.'s capitalist market begotten a society that has deemed seeking a profit evil? The evil institution of business - which, by the way, we can't live without - is usually accused of being greedy and selfish. Is being greedy and selfish that bad? Obviously, there are extreme forms of greed or self-interest that lead to bad things such as insider trading, but what about greed and self-interest in their purest forms? Having an intense desire for something can produce positive outcomes, such as a 4.0 GPA or running a marathon. We can't call those things evil, can we? There's nothing wrong with intensely desiring something, working hard for it and then reaping the
benefits.
Let's consider what it would be like to have a lack of self-interest. Basic tasks would be
difficult. We couldn't take care of ourselves, feed ourselves, get to class or do any of the things we consider normal without at least some self-interest. Self-interest is essential to survival. It is ridiculous to claim otherwise. This is not to discount acts that are done for the sake of others. It is simply to clarify that being self-interested cannot be entirely bad, because it is essential to our nature.
Business is often considered evil because, generally speaking, it represents greed and selfishness. When used in a pure form, greed and self-interest can be positive things that help drive success and accomplishment. Neither necessarily implies that it is at someone else's expense. This is the flaw in typical claims against business. It is assumed that greed and self-interest are always at the expense of others, such as consumers or employees. Admittedly, some business people do take advantage of others in the name of greed and self-interest. But again, we must separate individual people from the institution as a whole. It is wrong to consider seeking profit evil, and it is wrong to claim self-interest is the opposite of doing good for others. Without at least some self-interest and a desire to produce and gain some sort of value from that production, we are left with little. It is time we stop, think, educate ourselves and consider all sides before jumping on the old business-is-evil bandwagon.
Whitney J. Davis is a master's of business administration student with an emphasis in international business and public policy.
