But when you say "freedom", I guess that doesn't include "the freedom to buy and sell meth"? To clarify my position: * I agree that specialization increases pr

But when you say "freedom", I guess that doesn't include "the freedom to buy and sell meth"? To clarify my position: * I agree that specialization increases productivity. * I agree increased productivity is good. * I agree meth is bad. * I agree people have moral obligations to society. * I agree ethics should influence macroeconomic policy. * I don't see how Capitalism (an economic system) imposes (in top-down fashion) a moral obligation on what a company can and can't sell. My issue is one of scope resolution. I think you're confusing "good" with "demand". Per pg, Capitalism tries to supply people with what they want. But what people want isn't always the best for them. E.g. I ate a doughnut the other day. Given I could have eaten a healthier yet equally tasty apple, eating the doughnut probably wasn't the best possible decision. But I wanted it, so I ate it. When I ate that doughnut, not once did I think "Capitalism. Therefore, I shouldn't eat it." Nor do I imagine that Dunking Donuts ever thought "Capitalism. Therefore, I shouldn't sell it." A subsequent comment of yours suggests you didn't intend to imply an intrinsic between capitalism and the common good. But the way you originally framed your sentence strongly suggests otherwise.