"The Case Against Corporate Social Responsibility," by Aneel Karnani, associate professor of strategy at the University of Michigan, appeared this week in a special supplement of  The Wall Street Journal, produced in collaboration with MIT Sloan Management Review. 

In the article, Dr. Karnani argues that corporations that focus on social responsibility will "delay or discourage more effective measures to enhance social welfare" and characterizes these efforts as a tax on shareholders.

With all due respect to Dr. Karnani, the argument he put forth is wrong. Moreover, his essay has exposed the futility of an ideological debate pitting the free market against the common good as if they were wholly separate entities.  

This is not a hypothetical conversation. The world is full of real problems that threaten the corporate sector.

We face unconventional threats and irregular enemies, and...

I have an absurd question: What’s so revolutionary about doing good?

I don’t mean enlisting someone else do good. I’m talking about you changing your behavior and getting directly involved in solving problems.  And, by “you,” I mean individuals, corporations, charities, and government alike.

Somewhere along the way, we accepted the idea that individuals are incapable of meeting our own personal and community needs. Instead, we have allowed ourselves to become disconnected from the people around us and dependent on distant abstract entities to solve our problems for us.

In a misguided search for meaning and purpose, we have sought to define ourselves by the brands we consume—corporate, charitable, political, and religious.

Instead of rolling up our sleeves to help those in need and changing our personal behavior, we have found it easier to wear a ribbon or a wristband, buy a product...