Critically Analyze Joel Bakan's Argument in the Book "the Corporation"

Critically analyze Joel Bakan's argument in the book "The Corporation"

Introduction

* "The Corporation" by Canadian Law Professor Joel Bakan explains how corporations around the world are created to make money regardless of the consequences, and while there has been court rulings stating that a corporation is to be looked at as a person, and if there was such a person like that in our society they would be identified as a psychopath. Corporations can knowingly take some sort of action that can be destructive towards victims, but there would be no regard or sympathy towards them. After reading this book, there is a clear belief that most of the corporations around the world are evil and the only care they have is to create wealth and power. (Bakan, Joel., 2004)

Thesis Statement

* Through its many case studies and interviews, Bakan's novel The Corporation suggests that the corporation is created by law to function very similarly to a personality of a psychopath, and if this behavior continues to be allowed in society it will continue to lead to self destruction.

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* A corporation can be described as a business entity that is given some if not all of the same legal rights as an actual human being. Corporations can be made up of a single person or a group of people.

* The corporation has risen to become the world's dominant economic institution, and this is simply because it can combine the capital of an unlimited amount of people and put it all together. Corporations determine every detail about each person's life, and now govern society, possibly even more then government themselves do.

* It is important to consider the actions of corporations and their impacts on society simply because they control so much of members of society's lives and at any given moment if a corporation collapses millions of peoples lives could change.

* I would use the article by Kevin Carmichael, which is titled "Why the Economy is stuck in low gear" because it explains that corporations are clearly businesses, and these businesses continue to keep up a downward spiral. Many businesses are failing, which is causing money to be lost, which results in the loss of jobs and income to millions of people around the world. (Carmichael, Kevin., 2012)

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* Joel Bakan states that the corporation is a pathological institution. There was an uncanny resemblance to the corporation's characteristics versus a psychopath diagnosis.

* The corporation is seen to be irresponsible, because it puts others at risk in pursuit of its own goals, it is manipulative because it manipulates peoples opinions in pursuit of its own goals, it is grandiose because it is always insisting it is the best, it is reckless because it refuses to accept responsibility for its actions, it is remorseless because it cannot feel remorse, and finally it is superficial because it relates to others always in a way that does not reflect their true selves.

* Corporate social responsibility comes into play also, because like human psychopaths, they can present themselves as being concerned for something other then themselves but the truth is, they lack any sense of ability to care about anything or anyone other then themselves. This is why I would use the article by Steven McKee titled "Corporate Social Responsibility: Distinction or Distraction?" This article talks about how corporate social responsibility is usually not what people think it is. Corporations just want to create some sort of profit, but they shield that idea through trying to make themselves look better to the public eye. In reality however the corporation will do whatever it wants to get its main goal, which happens to be money. (McKee, Steven. 2012.)

* The main point of a corporation is to create wealth and profit; they don't care if they damage anything as long as they end up on top. The main thing that a corporation looks at is their own benefits and interests.

* I would use the paper titled "Conjectures on systemic psychopathy: reframing the contemporary corporation" in this section of my personal paper. This is relevant because it is arguing that there are interrelated arguments that show that the "corporation is a psychopath." All of these arguments stated support Joel Bakan's argument that the corporation lacks a conscience and they all point to the fact that there are not many clear boundaries between the organization and society members. (Wexler, Mark. 2008.)

* Another scholarly source I plan on using is