ABSTRACT
There are numerous reasons for the advocacy of government intervention. This chapter argues why government regulation is advocated, especially vis-a-vis the profession of business—the human activity of commerce. This argument illustrates how readily some persons disparage the moral underpinnings of trade, marketing, and advertising. The assumption that lingers in the background of criticisms of advertising is that ethics requires that those who sell goods and services should first of all help customers. The altruism that might be the underpinning of the criticism of advertising ethics should be thought of more along Rawlsian lines. In contrast to the assumption of altruism, the chapter suggests a form of egoism as the appropriate morality in terms of which to understand commerce. It also deals with the issue of banning cigarette advertising. Among others, the American Medical Association has been calling for a ban on the advertising and promotion of all tobacco products.
