The Morality fo Materiastic Self-Interest, The Corporation of the State

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Humanities

Year

2006

Author dc:creator

• Harrington, John C.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Christian Dean, PhD
• James Boitano, PhD

• Humanities
• Arts and Humanities

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/252

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.dominican.edu:humanities-print-theses-1251