The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit Of Pr... May 2026

The central argument of both the book and film is that the modern corporation is a . Bakan, a law professor, argues that because corporations are legally mandated to prioritize shareholder profit above all else, they mirror the clinical traits of a psychopath :

A tendency to disregard social norms and laws if the cost of the fine is lower than the potential profit. Key Themes The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Pr...

The "pathological" nature of corporations leads them to offload costs (like pollution or poor labor conditions) onto society, a process economists call "externalities". The central argument of both the book and

The law requires corporate directors to act in the best interest of the corporation, which is almost always defined as maximizing short-term wealth for shareholders. This makes genuine "corporate social responsibility" technically illegal if it doesn't serve the bottom line. The law requires corporate directors to act in

A consistent failure to consider the feelings or safety of others.

is a critical examination of the modern business corporation, presented as both a 2004 book by Joel Bakan and a 2003 award-winning documentary. Core Premise: The Corporate "Psychopath"

Repeated lying or conning of others for profit.