On tisdag 24 juli 2001 20.54, Mike Lorrey <mlorrey@datamann.com> wrote:
>Individualists abhor collective punishment in individualist systems. In
>collectivist systems, responsibility IS collective, it is an inherent
>function of the system. Having the power to delegate authority confers
>the responsibility to delegate wisely, and consequences for not doing
>so. Societies get the government they deserve.
In the case of corporations, I think you're confusing causality with liability. It's a fact that ultimately individuals are the cause of every action a company takes. However, in free trade, liability can be agreed upon. I can sell you a car as is, I can agree on money back if it doesn't start, or I can give you a three-year guaranty that it will work perfectly. This agreed-upon limited liability is the basis of the corporation. Another thing not to confuse, is the liability towards customers and the responsability of the members (board/employees) toward the company (share holders). If a member acts out of line with company guidlines, he should of course be held responsible.
States, on the other hand, can't be compared to corporations, cause they are based on mandatory membership and coersion. It's a fact that in almost all modern democracies, the majority of citizens did *not* vote for their current government. Seems that actually no society has the government it deserves.
Oh, another philosophical justification for corporations: Any entity capable of intelligent action and self support should have the right to become first class citizens. Having a body shouldn't be a requirement - or you'd have problems as an upload. Nor the ability to take physical punishment - there are pain killers. Nor should it matter how that intelligence is achived - just ask any AI out there to testify.
/felix
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Oct 12 2001 - 14:39:55 MDT