I think this phenomenon has a pretty simple explanation. In a competitive world, survival is predicated on fitness. Fitness is determined on balance by many factors. Industrialization won because even though it made society worse in some regards, on balance it increased a society’s fitness and ability to outcompete others.
You can resist negative externalities in a competitive environment only so long as you can maintain fitness while doing so.
For example: want to operate an ethical, repairable phone company? Better have a good plan for competitors who sell more phones at higher margins because they have less repairable designs and force customers to switch more often, in addition to removing their headphone jacks and charger in the box to sell more accessories and reduce costs. Maybe you would be forced to do some of these things yourself in order to stay competitive enough to avoid doing the others. The alternative is irrelevance or bankruptcy.
I think this phenomenon has a pretty simple explanation. In a competitive world, survival is predicated on fitness. Fitness is determined on balance by many factors. Industrialization won because even though it made society worse in some regards, on balance it increased a society’s fitness and ability to outcompete others.
You can resist negative externalities in a competitive environment only so long as you can maintain fitness while doing so.
For example: want to operate an ethical, repairable phone company? Better have a good plan for competitors who sell more phones at higher margins because they have less repairable designs and force customers to switch more often, in addition to removing their headphone jacks and charger in the box to sell more accessories and reduce costs. Maybe you would be forced to do some of these things yourself in order to stay competitive enough to avoid doing the others. The alternative is irrelevance or bankruptcy.