As a nuance though. one could agree with the notion of negative externalities naturally occurring in a free market economy (perhaps in a total laissez faire environment the affected third parties could retaliate in kind though) but disagree with the form of policy to address it. In principle the market should be able to select appropriate fixes if the costs are internalized, but governments have a tendency to focus less on the internalize costs part, and more on selecting fixes. Pragmatically it might be the best way forward, but in principle it goes against free market resource optimizations and instead becomes a gamble that whatever fix is made policy actually do have an impact on the problem, and doesn't make things worse.
Pragmatically it might be the best way forward, but in principle it goes against free market resource optimizations
This is a pretty good argument the absolute value of principle, tbh
For what it's worth, I tend to see principles like map; useful - even indispensable - in many situations, that are nevertheless abstractions and therefor imperfect guides to actual reality. Use maps, yes, but avoid mistaking them - or any system of symbols - for the things they represent (i.e., the map is not the territory).
Indeed, principle is a form of proxy wisdom for the young and inexperienced. It's better than nothing, but probably not enough to save you from at least a few episodes of hard reckoning. Assuming these don't get you killed, the places where principle doesn't serve are the ones where mature judgement develops.
Granted, there's a point where this doesn't serve either, but that's okay too since mortality always wins in the end.
