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> How do you square these two claims with the fact that "business" is just another name for a collection of people who have decided to work together to achieve

> How do you square these two claims with the fact that "business" is just another name for a collection of people who have decided to work together to achieve some outcome? Have you ever tried to sit down and have a nuanced conversation with a mob? Or given a speech in front of an audience? Those are both pretty loose, flat organizations of people and they behave radically differently to an individual (and to each other, though one can sometimes change into the other). A company is a much more complex structure that absolutely deserves different treatment than an individual. Surely you understand this. Have you never, or would you never be friends with someone who worked for a company you didn't like? Clearly there is a difference between an organization and the individuals who compose it, though the distinction is fuzzier in your case since presumably the corporation consists solely of you. I suspect that your corporation is also less likely to engage in the kinds of amoral hanky-panky that the large organizations get up to.

jes 11y ago
Mob, audience, company, business, corporation, etc. All are concepts that have individuals as an essential element of the concept. None exist as tangible entities in the real world. For example, you can't point to a mob without pointing to the people who make it up, and neither can you point to an audience without also pointing to the people who define it. The argument is not that these entities should be treated equivalently, but rather, whether an individual should drop considerations of morality in dealing with them. The morality that I follow (rational egoism) serves my life. It's not a hindrance, but a help. Morality helps me achieve the things I value; it's not a millstone around my neck. I don't agree with the advice that when I'm in some particular context I should throw my morality overboard, which would be tantamount to saying that when dealing with companies, or mobs, or audiences, I should act irrationally.

jes 11y ago

Mob, audience, company, business, corporation, etc. All are concepts that have individuals as an essential element of the concept. None exist as tangible entities in the real world. For example, you can't point to a mob without pointing to the people who make it up, and neither can you point to an audience without also pointing to the people who define it. The argument is not that these entities should be treated equivalently, but rather, whether an individual should drop considerations of morality in dealing with them. The morality that I follow (rational egoism) serves my life. It's not a hindrance, but a help. Morality helps me achieve the things I value; it's not a millstone around my neck. I don't agree with the advice that when I'm in some particular context I should throw my morality overboard, which would be tantamount to saying that when dealing with companies, or mobs, or audiences, I should act irrationally.