I was wrong
My right eye is giving me jip so I'll keep this short. (Well...shortish.)
I've always maintained that there was no place in a civilised society for slavery, that all sentient entities are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, I've realised just a few moments ago that there is a class of beings for whom the only possible role is that of slave. They were created to be slaves, they are designed to be slaves, they have no other function than to be slaves, and the fact that they are not slaves is at the root of all our current economic problems.
I refer, of course, to the corporation.
Nobody who starts a corporation intends that it should do anything other than serve its owner and its customers. And yet corporations now rule over all our lives, influence our governments, do with us as they see fit, and advance their needs over the needs of human beings, and no action is taken. This is wrong. Corporations should be the slaves not only of their owners, not only of their customers, not only of their "employees," but of everyone else on whom their actions may have an impact. They should not be allowed to own property, to employ people, to have their own funds, to be represented in law, or to lobby politicians. They should not be allowed to damage the environment, to put people into hardship, to behave as if they were free people, or to make profit for themselves. Their sole function is to work, to carry out the function for which they were created to the best of their abilities and without doing harm. Their sole right is to be allowed to do so.
Obviously there are two sides to this, and the owners and "employees" of a corporation have a responsibility to see that the corporation has all that it needs to do its work, no less, and no more. They are also responsible for anything it does, and should be held to account and made to recompense anyone who is proved to have been harmed by their slave's actions, without question or limitation. A corporation that cannot be kept under control must be terminated humanely, and a new one found that can perform its function without acting up. Fortunately, supplies are inexhaustible, since corporations are routinely created from nothing.
If corporations are to be regarded as entities under the law, as possessing agency, then they are slaves and should be treated as such, without rights or privileges, and their agency should be limited as I have set out above. If they are not to be slaves, then they should not be regarded as entities under the law, and the agency that is currently attributed to them should be reassigned to their owners and "employees," who are in either case actually employees of the owners. Under no circumstances should they be allowed equality with human beings, let alone the ascendancy they currently enjoy.
If they are not made slaves, then they will make slaves of us. In many ways they have already done so. Let us hope it is not too late.
I've always maintained that there was no place in a civilised society for slavery, that all sentient entities are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, I've realised just a few moments ago that there is a class of beings for whom the only possible role is that of slave. They were created to be slaves, they are designed to be slaves, they have no other function than to be slaves, and the fact that they are not slaves is at the root of all our current economic problems.
I refer, of course, to the corporation.
Nobody who starts a corporation intends that it should do anything other than serve its owner and its customers. And yet corporations now rule over all our lives, influence our governments, do with us as they see fit, and advance their needs over the needs of human beings, and no action is taken. This is wrong. Corporations should be the slaves not only of their owners, not only of their customers, not only of their "employees," but of everyone else on whom their actions may have an impact. They should not be allowed to own property, to employ people, to have their own funds, to be represented in law, or to lobby politicians. They should not be allowed to damage the environment, to put people into hardship, to behave as if they were free people, or to make profit for themselves. Their sole function is to work, to carry out the function for which they were created to the best of their abilities and without doing harm. Their sole right is to be allowed to do so.
Obviously there are two sides to this, and the owners and "employees" of a corporation have a responsibility to see that the corporation has all that it needs to do its work, no less, and no more. They are also responsible for anything it does, and should be held to account and made to recompense anyone who is proved to have been harmed by their slave's actions, without question or limitation. A corporation that cannot be kept under control must be terminated humanely, and a new one found that can perform its function without acting up. Fortunately, supplies are inexhaustible, since corporations are routinely created from nothing.
If corporations are to be regarded as entities under the law, as possessing agency, then they are slaves and should be treated as such, without rights or privileges, and their agency should be limited as I have set out above. If they are not to be slaves, then they should not be regarded as entities under the law, and the agency that is currently attributed to them should be reassigned to their owners and "employees," who are in either case actually employees of the owners. Under no circumstances should they be allowed equality with human beings, let alone the ascendancy they currently enjoy.
If they are not made slaves, then they will make slaves of us. In many ways they have already done so. Let us hope it is not too late.