Profit Motive vs War Motive

Non-Intervention is better than isolation

The Capitalist Profit Motive versus the Government's War Motive

Libertarians and conservatives often see government intervention in the marketplace and in the world stage as a threat to individual freedom. This is especially true when it comes to war. The capitalist profit motive and the government's motive for war are two very different things, and it's important to understand the difference.

If I really wanted to be controversial I would have called it the government’s “Murder” motive, but that is not entirely accurate. There are justified wars, especially if it takes place in self-defense.

And human beings do cooperate in order to compete with each other. The benefit of a free market capitalist system is people form groups to sell goods to others. In every other system people form groups to invade another group and steal their resources. In a capitalist system, people sell goods to others that they want. The quote “If goods don’t cross borders, armies will” comes to mind. Unfortunately, the quote is often misattributed to Frederic Bastiat. It would have been nice if he actually said that, but it still summarizes his views well. Capitalism has a 200-year history of reducing violence among the general population. The government has a record of only exacerbating it.