Many people on the left think that profit is “theft” or immoral in some way. This includes not just the authoritarian crowd but also some libertarian, free market anarchists. This is unfortunate be…
In capitalism, profit has precisely nothing to do with what you make or harvest, and is entirely dependent on what you can take from others. Whether that’s a net positive to society like growing and selling berries, or a net negative, like hoarding jobs to underpay and price gouge people.
Most of capitalism is the latter, simply because it’s much more profitable.
“Profit is like when you have extra berries!”
There’s your immediate key misunderstanding.
In capitalism, profit has precisely nothing to do with what you make or harvest, and is entirely dependent on what you can take from others. Whether that’s a net positive to society like growing and selling berries, or a net negative, like hoarding jobs to underpay and price gouge people.
Most of capitalism is the latter, simply because it’s much more profitable.
You want to know what it’s actually like when you have extra berries? Read Robin Wall Kimmerer’s The Serviceberry.
Profit is like saying you own the treebush and will racket everybody off half of their harvest while you sit on your ass all day