The Morality fo Materiastic Self-Interest, The Corporation of the State
Graduation Date
Spring 2006
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program Name
Humanities
First Reader
Christian Dean, PhD
Second Reader
James Boitano, PhD
Abstract
Scottish moral philosopher Adam Smith (1723-1790) wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments in 1759 and The Wealth of Nations in 1776. In these treatises he juxtaposed the conflicting morality of benevolence experienced in a community of familiar individuals, with the morality of self-interest when unfamiliar individuals engage in economic transactions under capitalism. When Smith wrote, corporations were legally required by the state to serve the public interest and control was not separate from ownership. There was balance between benevolence and self-interest.
Today corporations are not required to serve the public interest and corporate control is separate from ownership. Global corporations and management are removed from communities and have become excessively materialistically self-interested, which has led to selfishness and autonomous behavior, leading the corporation to seek dominance over the state. This thesis proposes that to protect public interest and restore the balance between benevolence and self-interest, the state must reassert its authority over the corporation.