If the dominant institution of our time has been created in the image of a psychopath, who bears the moral responsibility for its actions? When measured against norms for individuals, many corporation are prototypical psychopaths:
Yet Corporations also do essential good for society. Corporate CEOs discuss how this is true, and what they do about it, because the Corporation is legally bound to put it's short-term financial well-being ahead of all else, including life, liberty and property of others. The movie also discusses the benefits of having everything owned.
The Corporation is today's dominant institution, creating great wealth but also great harm. This award-winning documentary examines the nature, evolution, impacts and future of the modern business corporation and the increasing role it plays in society and our everyday lives:
Institutions can be monstrous, but be peopled with individuals who are benevolent as individuals. But in their institutional role, they are monsters, if the institution they work for is monstrous. Agree? Disagree? Comment!
I wonder... does this hold true mainly of publicly help corporations? I'd imagine that private corps. have a lot more leeway concerning profits and business growth since they aren't at the mercy of share-holders.
ReplyDeleteIn the current climate, many corporations are private only so that they can go public. Already public institutions even go private expressly so they can reorganize out of the public eye and go public again later.
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