Are corporations people ? Should they be ?

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Oldout
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12 Apr 2012, 12:12 pm

Take off with this one.

ruveyn
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12 Apr 2012, 12:13 pm

Oldout wrote:

Take off with this one.

The was a period of time when it made sense to limit the liabilities of certain business firms. That time is now passed.

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12 Apr 2012, 12:15 pm

They should be held to the same standards as an actual person. It should also be recognized that in the US at least, they as "persons" are the largest beneficiaries of welfare when you consider the bailouts etc

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Awesomelyglorious
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12 Apr 2012, 12:30 pm

They are actual people. I was once in a romantic relationship with Microsoft.

snapcap
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12 Apr 2012, 12:37 pm

Awesomelyglorious wrote:

They are actual people. I was once in a romantic relationship with Microsoft.

When did you realize you were bonking with the living dead?

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Last edited by snapcap on 12 Apr 2012, 12:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Vigilans
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12 Apr 2012, 12:38 pm

Awesomelyglorious wrote:

They are actual people. I was once in a romantic relationship with Microsoft.

Was Microsoft good in the sack?

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12 Apr 2012, 12:41 pm

There legal persons in the eyes of the law. Corporations as being socially responsible "people" is a different question all together.
Now really should an amoral "person" (corporations) be anthropomorphised?
Then if they should be, what is the fair and best personification to describe them?

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snapcap
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12 Apr 2012, 12:46 pm

Who goes to jail when a corporation is killed?

When corporations consider letting themselves be consumed by another, is there someone to step in a put them in the looney bin for awhile?

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PM
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12 Apr 2012, 1:07 pm

They should be considered business entities with property rights.

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12 Apr 2012, 1:08 pm

snapcap wrote:

Who goes to jail when a corporation is killed?

When corporations consider letting themselves be consumed by another, is there someone to step in a put them in the looney bin for awhile?

You can get away with murder by liquidating a corporation, its perfectly legal to "kill a business". :twisted:

Competition laws and govenment bodies that enforce them laws are the "business psychiatry & psychiatrists" to deal with there abnormalities.

visagrunt
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12 Apr 2012, 1:25 pm

I think that you are asking the wrong question.

"Corporate personality" has existed in the law of England and Wales since the first companies were created by Royal Charter--and the United States has fallen heir to that legal principle.

Corporate personality is the basis under which corporations can enter into contracts and under which they can sue or be sued. In the absence of corporate personality, the most complex form of business relationship that could be created is the limited partnership, a vehicle which is entirely unsuited to the scope and complexity of the modern business world.

So, yes, corporations should be legal persons. But a legal person and a natural person are two different things.

To my mind the question should be, "what rights and privileges of a natural person arrogate to a legal person?"

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scubasteve
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12 Apr 2012, 2:33 pm

Awesomelyglorious wrote:

They are actual people. I was once in a romantic relationship with Microsoft.

You should probably get tested.

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12 Apr 2012, 2:35 pm

visagrunt wrote:

QFT

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Robdemanc
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12 Apr 2012, 2:36 pm

Acording to the law they are people. I don't think they should be classed as such. Or if they are then they should be classed as people who have a significant advantage. The law recognises people who have disadvantages so I think that is fair.

On the whole I think corporations are arenas for people to behave in ways they would not normally behave. That is why we end up with corporations doing the most attrotious things in the world.

If an individual went into massive debt after going on a mad spending spree they would be declared bankrupt. But it seems a corporation can do that and everyone else has to chip in and help them carry on with their irresponsible behaviour.

What i would prefer is that corporations are regarded as ideas that people devote their time to in exchange for renumeration.

Kjas
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12 Apr 2012, 10:59 pm

Vigilans wrote:

I would disagree. I think they should be held to higher standards than an actual person since many of them hold quite a bit of power and have the capability to do a lot of good or a lot of evil.

A corporation doing a lot of evil inevitability causes a lot more harm than one actual person can, on average. That should be kept in mind when it comes to the law.

This is particularly important when you consider that many corporations actually form a large part of the base of the economy for many economies in the western world.

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VIDEODROME
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12 Apr 2012, 11:06 pm

Only if the CEO, the board, their main frame computer, and manufacturing equipment were pushed into a telepod and emerged as a gestalt being.

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