What are the pros and cons of capitalism?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: What are the pros and cons of capitalism?
Position1 of 2›: Capitalism is good
Argument‹5 of 5: Capitalism is self-regulatory

Capitalism ensures economic efficiency because it is self-regulated through competition. Companies must adhere to the ethical and moral standards of society, or else be at risk of being damaged by boycotts.

The argument

Capitalism ensures efficiency because it is self-regulated through competition. Companies must make the best use of their resources and improve their organization. They need to be efficient in their production of goods and services or consumers will go elsewhere. Supply and demand regulate the market without government interference. A self-regulatory economic system also prevents companies with unethical business practices from flourishing. Businesses must adhere to the widely accepted moral and ethical standards of society, or else consumers may choose to boycott that business (for example, it may be revealed that a company racially discriminates against applicants, prompting boycotts). The free market can promote ethical and non-discriminatory behavior in companies and does so in a way that is self-regulatory and requires little government interference (as long as companies are not breaking any laws). One example is when PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) promoted boycotts of several major airlines for transporting wild monkeys to laboratories for medical experimentation. "Due to Consumer pressure, other major airlines, including United, Air China, Delta, and American have reportedly stopped transporting primates for use in experiments. PETA was urging consumers to boycott Air France until the company also changes its policy on transporting primates."

Premises

[P1]Competition makes capitalism self-regulating: firms must use resources efficiently and produce good products or consumers go elsewhere, and supply and demand govern the market without government interference. [P2] The free market also curbs unethical conduct, since consumers can boycott businesses that violate moral standards—as when consumer pressure made airlines stop transporting primates for experiments. [C] Therefore, because it is self-regulatory and promotes efficient, ethical behaviour, capitalism is good.

Counter-arguments

Capitalism isn't self-regulated. Governments regulate, subsidize, and bailout corporations. It is also hard to expect consumers to regulate ethical business practices when the culture accepts poor business practices, the law protects them, and information on which businesses are unethical is hard to come by. This is especially true in instances where the unethical practices are purposely hidden such as fossil fuel companies burying the reports that predicted the climate crisis.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] If capitalism was self-regulated then governments would not need to regulate, subsidize, and bailout corporations. [Rejecting P3] When poor business practices are the norm, the system cannot be considered good.