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Helping people is almost never personal either. Doctors help people but it’s nothing personal, only business. The only thing that defines whether you are a goo

Helping people is almost never personal either. Doctors help people but it’s nothing personal, only business. The only thing that defines whether you are a good or bad person, is what you do at a personal level. Even though I may contribute to horrific consequences on a business level, at the personal level I am still a good man.

Goronmon 8y ago
That's an impressive level of self-deception you've constructed for yourself there.
aninhumer 8y ago
>Even though I may contribute to horrific consequences on a business level, at the personal level I am still a good man. It's true that on some level, we exist within a system that forces us to make bad choices, and in general I think criticising individuals for systemic issues is a waste of time, but you can't just say "it's just business" to dismiss all moral decisions. If you are working for a company which you know to be causing harm, and you are in the privileged position to be able to leave without becoming destitute, choosing to keep working for them is absolutely an action which can be morally condemned.
- matte_black 8y ago
  It’s not that simple. Many companies cause some form of harm, but if you feel the ends justify the means there is no reason to leave.
bmans94 8y ago
Just following orders.
wongarsu 8y ago
So running a plantation on slave labor, mistreating those slaves, doesn't impact whether you are a good or a bad person? After all, you don't have anything personal against those people, slavery is just good business, and the more work you get out of your slaves the more money you make. I'm all for cutting people slack for systematic issues, environment, zeitgeist etc. But just giving it a free pass because it's business seems very wrong. Most of the bad things in this world are "just business".
- matte_black 8y ago
  Many plantations were run without mistreating slaves. And many plantation owners had no choice but to use slaves as they couldn’t afford paid labor, or needed to keep profits up to stay competitive. It’s like holding a wolf by the ears: not a situation you want to be in, but not something you dare to let go. Today’s equivalent might be H1B Visas, which many companies in the valley make ample use (and even abuse) of.
  - Goronmon 8y ago
    Many plantations were run without mistreating slaves. Slaves are mistreated by definition of being slaves.
jstarfish 8y ago
Yeah, that line of thinking came up a lot at the Nuremburg trials.
mfringel 8y ago
And that, in a nutshell, is why corporations are their own moral entities, and not just "made of people".
s73v3r_ 8y ago
No. That is entirely false. A good person isn't going to do bad things and excuse them as being "just business."

Goronmon 8y ago

That's an impressive level of self-deception you've constructed for yourself there.

aninhumer 8y ago

>Even though I may contribute to horrific consequences on a business level, at the personal level I am still a good man. It's true that on some level, we exist within a system that forces us to make bad choices, and in general I think criticising individuals for systemic issues is a waste of time, but you can't just say "it's just business" to dismiss all moral decisions. If you are working for a company which you know to be causing harm, and you are in the privileged position to be able to leave without becoming destitute, choosing to keep working for them is absolutely an action which can be morally condemned.

matte_black 8y ago
It’s not that simple. Many companies cause some form of harm, but if you feel the ends justify the means there is no reason to leave.

bmans94 8y ago

Just following orders.

wongarsu 8y ago

So running a plantation on slave labor, mistreating those slaves, doesn't impact whether you are a good or a bad person? After all, you don't have anything personal against those people, slavery is just good business, and the more work you get out of your slaves the more money you make. I'm all for cutting people slack for systematic issues, environment, zeitgeist etc. But just giving it a free pass because it's business seems very wrong. Most of the bad things in this world are "just business".

matte_black 8y ago
Many plantations were run without mistreating slaves. And many plantation owners had no choice but to use slaves as they couldn’t afford paid labor, or needed to keep profits up to stay competitive. It’s like holding a wolf by the ears: not a situation you want to be in, but not something you dare to let go. Today’s equivalent might be H1B Visas, which many companies in the valley make ample use (and even abuse) of.
- Goronmon 8y ago
  Many plantations were run without mistreating slaves. Slaves are mistreated by definition of being slaves.

jstarfish 8y ago

Yeah, that line of thinking came up a lot at the Nuremburg trials.

mfringel 8y ago

And that, in a nutshell, is why corporations are their own moral entities, and not just "made of people".

s73v3r_ 8y ago

No. That is entirely false. A good person isn't going to do bad things and excuse them as being "just business."