Profit is what motivates people to grow food, build houses, make computers and generally take the effort that creates the standard of living that is attainable (not guaranteed)in a free society. What the philosphically tilted economists like Kristol object to is what they view as capitalism’s dark side, but the dark side is human nature and not a flawed political system. Among free people, it is manifest in excess and debauchery; in closed societies, it’s manifest in oppression, torture and murder. Until man figures out how to alter human nature, those will be his choices.
We have figured it out. Religion alters human nature. Whether it be Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etc., religion puts in place a set of ethics, defines culture, and places boundaries on behavior. Even in a modern society with sophisticated social structure, cultural norms and ethics are far more powerful in shaping human nature than any govt mandated law would do.
Dirtboy posted about the Canadian banking system and their sense of individual responsibility versus ours. Canada has no laws mandating personal responsibility. No govt does. But their culture protected them from individuals taking advantage of an onerous situation that is allowed from a legal standpoint.
I'm not saying that religion is the sole remedy for the eventual self-destruction of Capitalism. However, one must realize that virtue does play a huge part on whether a nation can survive regardless of the economic system.
As a conservative, I believe that govt does have a role to play in promoting virtue. The govt, with its massive power, must be careful in doing so, and should use direct legislation as the bastion of last resort (e.g., Prohibition). There are many other methods the govt could use in perserving "useful" virtue, such as having an English-as-an-official-language policy; enacting loser-pay laws in curbing frivolous lawsuits; or simply cleaning out corruption by passing term-limits on Congress.