Unsatisfactory Prophet

Here's a letter to the Wall Street Journal:

Prof. D. Kirk Davidson wants businesses to stop pursing maximum profits and to settle for earning "satisfactory profits" (Letters, Aug. 30).  Putting aside the confusing vagueness of the concept "satisfactory profits," let's explore some of the likely results of Prof. Davidson's recommendation.

One result would be greater environmental damage, as firms settle for getting only satisfactory output, rather than maximum output, from a given quantity of...