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From competing definitions of what a “person” is to conflicting ethical theories, The Corporation raises several significant questions for philosophical exploration. The documentary shows how corporations lead individuals to act in ways which might be deemed unethical in their private life, and how corporations reduce things in the world to objects or commodities. Human conduct must be measured against the principles which emerge from philosophical reflection, and a philosophical study of this documentary can lead to a greater understanding of this “dominant institution of our time.” The following discussion questions will draw out several significant philosophical issues and can be connected with readings in the history of philosophy. |
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| “What is a Person” is one of the oldest and most central questions to philosophy. According to the course readings, what are the key attributes of a person? How is a corporation like or unlike a person? How does the status of the corporation as a legally recognized “person” correspond with other attempts to answer this question? How does the notion of “externalities” relate to the ethical status of the corporation as a “Person”? |
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| Chapter |
Chapter Title |
Scene Reference |
| 1 |
What Is a Corporation? |
10:00:00:00 |
| 2 |
Birth |
10:06:27:16 |
| 3 |
A Legal “Person” |
10:10:53:01 |
| 4 |
Externalities |
10:15:56:00 |
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| 2 |
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| John Locke asserts that persons have the inalienable right to property in the state of nature, and enter into civil society so that it may be better protected. Karl Marx writes about the commodity in the first chapter of Das Kapital and associates it with the concepts of “use-value” and “exchange value.” What debates about property and commodities emerge in the documentary, and what philosophical criticisms might be raised? Research the notion of a “thing” or “object.” |
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Chapter |
Chapter Title |
Scene Reference |
| 10 |
Boundary Issues |
10:56:36:18 |
| 16 |
Advancing the Front |
12:00:00:00 |
| 18 |
Expansion Plan |
12:16:08:01 |
| 23 |
Psycho Therapies |
12:37:43:25 |
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| 3 |
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| Philosopher Mark Kingwell discusses the concept of virtue and states that corporations provide a list of virtues, namely that of “The Good Consumer.” Considering what is said about consumerism in this documentary, what might Kingwell mean by this phrase? Research the notion of virtue as it appears in such thinkers as Aristotle, Machiavelli and Nietzsche. How is “The Good Consumer” like or unlike these notions of virtue? |
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| Chapter |
Chapter Title |
Scene Reference |
| 11 |
Basic Training |
11:03:15:08 |
| 12 |
Perception Management |
11:12:40:03 |
| 14 |
A Private Celebration |
11:18:01:24 |
| 15 |
Triumph of the Shill |
11:21:42:12 |
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| 4 |
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| An entirely new field has recently emerged called “Business Ethics.” Research how the concept of “ethics” is understood in this field. Compare these definitions of ethics with other significant ethical theories in your course readings. |
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| Chapter |
Chapter Title |
Scene Reference |
| 7 |
Monstrous Obligations |
10:41:19:08 |
| 8 |
Mindset |
10:46:52:15 |
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| 5 |
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| The documentary raises important questions about ethics and personal responsibility. In discussing the “nag factor,” Lucy Hughes says that she “doesn’t know” if what she does is ethical, while Michael Moore states that “we have to accept responsibility” for our actions. To what extent is a person responsible for what they do even when within a company? |
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| Chapter |
Chapter Title |
Scene Reference |
| 7 |
Monstrous Obligations |
10:41:19:08 |
| 8 |
Mindset |
10:46:52:15 |
| 11 |
Basic Training |
11:03:15:08 |
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| 6 |
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| Milton Friedman states that “asking corporations to be moral makes no more sense than asking a building to be…it’s the people in the corporations who have moral responsibilities,” while Sam Gibara of Goodyear states that even as a CEO one does things one wouldn’t otherwise and would prefer not to. What does the documentary show happens to moral reasoning and moral autonomy when individuals exist within larger institutions such as a corporation? Is a person morally culpable for their actions when within such an institution? Why or why not? |
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| Chapter |
Chapter Title |
Scene Reference |
| 3 |
A Legal “Person” |
10:10:53:01 |
| 4 |
Externalities |
10:15:56:00 |
| 6 |
The Pathology of Commerce |
10:40:30:06 |
| 7 |
Monstrous Obligations |
10:41:19:08 |
| 8 |
Mindset |
10:46:52:15 |
| 21 |
Democracy Ltd. |
12:29:18:06 |
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| 7 |
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| The film suggests that corporations engage in practices that result in worker exploitation. What role have unions played in addressing these issues in the US and other jurisdictions? Research the history of the relationship between corporations and labor groups. |
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| Chapter |
Chapter Title |
Scene Reference |
| 2 |
Birth |
10:06:27:16 |
| 5 |
Harm to Workers: Sweatshops |
10:18:08:23 |
| 17 |
Unsettling Accounts |
12:05:09:11 |
| 22 |
Psycho Therapies |
12:37:43:13 |
| 23 |
Prognosis |
12:54:28:19 |
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| 8 |
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| The documentary shows that at a certain point, corporations such as General Motors will often choose to pay legal penalties for the costs of accidents rather than pay to redesign their product so as to improve safety. Does this kind of reasoning adhere to the principles of Kant’s Categorical Imperative or Mill’s Utilitarianism? Why? Apply these two principles to other examples of corporate activity as portrayed in the documentary. What kind of ethical reasoning could be used to critique this approach? |
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| Chapter |
Chapter Title |
Scene Reference |
| 3 |
A Legal “Person” |
10:10:53:01 |
| 4 |
Externalities |
10:15:56:00 |
| 22 |
Psycho Therapies |
12:37:43:13 |
| 23 |
Prognosis |
12:54:28:22 |
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