>You mean, if I want the big companies to do good (or "not do evil") I have to pay up to them? It means you need to align incentives. Those can be positive (t

>You mean, if I want the big companies to do good (or "not do evil") I have to pay up to them? It means you need to align incentives. Those can be positive (tax breaks for hiring veterans) or negative (penalties for violating antitrust laws), but they are incentives nonetheless. >So they should already have an incentive to do good to those societies- they will personally benefit from that good-doing. Do you, individually, benefit more from living in a society where mining companies don't dump toxic chemicals in rivers in third world countries, or from making your quarterly bonuses? This is a classic tragedy of the commons. >Why do they need me, or anyone else, to provide that incentive? Because companies are amoral profit-maximization constructs. >"Companies" are not "amoral entities", neither are nations. There are many corporations and politicians who are more than happy to indulge that fantasy in exchange for your money or vote. You can rant and rave about evil corporations till you're blue in the face, and you won't change a damned thing. Corporations respond to incentives, not moral pleas. Change the incentives if you want to change the behaviour.