Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Allen Mendenhall
“After five years teaching at a business school — following an academic journey through English literature, law, and humanities — I depart with an unexpected observation: many students require convincing that profit serves a legitimate purpose. The calculation is straightforward — revenue minus expenses — yet the moral dimension perplexes these undergraduates. They arrive harboring suspicion toward the very economic engine that creates prosperity and opportunity. Perhaps more revealing is the contrast between students of different backgrounds. Those from modest circumstances — particularly young African American men from rural South Alabama — approached entrepreneurship with refreshing clarity. Having experienced economic hardship firsthand, they viewed profit as a practical necessity rather than a moral compromise. They regarded with genuine puzzlement their more advantaged peers who displayed ambivalence toward commercial success while benefiting from its results.” (06/25/25)
https://fee.org/articles/leaving-the-academy-still-defending-markets/