[sidlls]

It's not a capitalist ploy. Capitalists do exploit the passionate (to the detriment of us all) by giving them what they ask for: lower compensation in return for providing a job they're "passionate" about. It's not really any different from them exploiting youth.

[TomSawyer]

The exploited are being tricked into believing that there's intangible value in spending their life's work on something that they believe in and are passionate about, right? It's only virtuous to do that if someone doesn't profit from it, correct?

[sidlls]

There is virtue in laboring at a compensation far below the value generated (see: most science ever done). There is also intangible value at dedication to work. Neither is what I referred to, though.