A consistent failure to consider the feelings or safety of others.
The central argument of both the book and film is that the modern corporation is a . Bakan, a law professor, argues that because corporations are legally mandated to prioritize shareholder profit above all else, they mirror the clinical traits of a psychopath :
Repeated lying or conning of others for profit. The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Pr...
is a critical examination of the modern business corporation, presented as both a 2004 book by Joel Bakan and a 2003 award-winning documentary. Core Premise: The Corporate "Psychopath"
A tendency to disregard social norms and laws if the cost of the fine is lower than the potential profit. Key Themes A consistent failure to consider the feelings or
The law requires corporate directors to act in the best interest of the corporation, which is almost always defined as maximizing short-term wealth for shareholders. This makes genuine "corporate social responsibility" technically illegal if it doesn't serve the bottom line.
Directed by and Jennifer Abbott , the film brings Bakan’s legal theories to life through a series of vignettes and high-profile interviews: (PDF) Collective Agents as Moral Actors - ResearchGate is a critical examination of the modern business
The "pathological" nature of corporations leads them to offload costs (like pollution or poor labor conditions) onto society, a process economists call "externalities".