[zahlman]

I believe in agency. If I pollute the air, I cause a negative externality for others. But if I buy a product from someone who produces it unethically, I don't cause that unethical production. If the producer can't offer me the same good produced ethically at the same price, that isn't my fault.

[delusional]

That's mostly the same point again. I was asking in the opposite direction. Do "good things" flow upstream?

In your example it would be: would the producer still be producing the unethically produced good without a seller?

Another way to form that question is the more general: does demand drive production, or does production drive demand? Will we buy whatever is produced or will we produce whatever we demand?

[zahlman]

>would the producer still be producing the unethically produced good without a [buyer]?

I don't think there's a clear yes or no to this, and I also don't consider this question relevant to my analysis.

[delusional]

Thank you for both correcting it and answering anyway, that's not a given on the internet :)

I suppose I understand. It's a denial of philosophical realism (he wouldn't do that bad thing if it wasn't for me and therefore I'm part of that bad thing) in favor of idealism (no matter if I want the bad thing to happen, he shouldn't do it). I suppose I hold that same opinion when I advocate for intervening in the market to limit the supply of "bad stuff".

I can respect that.