In a capitalist society, capital rules: the need of capital to maximize the return on its investments, is preeminent. That need takes precedence, almost always, over every other interest unless blocked by the concerted effort of ordinary people. Capital on its own has absolutely no moral compass. It is inherently and constitutionally blind to every consideration other than profits. It will stop at nothing, no matter how morally odious, in the pursuit of its purely material ends – slavery, conquest and genocide, large-scale theft and deception – all these and more are the time-tested methods of capital. The reason for this is not any human moral failing, for capital, to put it bluntly, is not human. It is not subject to moral feelings like empathy and compassion, for it has no soul, any more than a volcano or a tsunami. It is useless to appeal to capital to do the right thing, for it can hear nothing but the ka-ching of money coming in. Let me illustrate with s