"As long as you have a system that is based on the rational that if you are making money you are thereby making a contribution to society, these financial rogue practices will continue"

David Korten draws attention to a foundational flaw in many modern economic systems: the widespread assumption that profit is inherently beneficial to society. He argues that as long as this logic prevails, unethical or harmful financial behavior will persist. The underlying "rational" is that personal or corporate wealth creation is directly correlated with positive societal contribution, a belief deeply embedded in market-driven economies. This belief forms the bedrock of neoliberal critiques, where deregulation and freedom from oversight are justified because profits themselves supposedly signal value creation.

However, Korten points to the dark underbelly of this reasoning. When profit is used as the sole measure of contribution, it detaches economic activity from broader human well-being and social health. Entire sectors, especially in finance, can thrive while providing little or nothing of true societal value. In many cases, they thrive by exploiting loopholes, externalizing costs, or pursuing speculative ventures that carry systemic risk, actions that qualify as "financial rogue practices". These pursuits may inflate individual or corporate coffers, but their contributions range from neutral to actively destructive when viewed through the lens of community, environment, or long-term economic stability.

The quote challenges readers to rethink the moral equation that ties earning money to making a positive difference. By exposing this assumption, Korten makes clear that as long as society equates private financial success with social value, there will be little incentive to rein in behavior that is lucrative but harmful. Oversight, ethics, and accountability become afterthoughts, secondary to the pursuit of profit. For meaningful change, Korten suggests that societies must redefine what constitutes a valuable contribution, crafting systems where profit aligns with genuine societal and environmental benefit, and where rogue practices lose not only social respectability but also their economic appeal.