Organizations as Wrongdoers: From Ontology to Morality

This book provides a new metaphysical and moral theory of wrongful organizations, arguing that organizations are material objects with humans as material parts and can experience moral self-awareness. It suggests that members should be implicated in organizations' wrongs based on their level of involvement and that reparative costs should be apportioned accordingly.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 23 February 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Organizations often engage in moral wrongdoing, as exemplified by states pursuing unjust wars, businesses evading tax, and charities misdirecting funds. Our social, political, and legal responses require guidance to ensure that we respond appropriately to these issues. We need a comprehensive metaphysical and moral theory of wrongful organizations to provide a framework for understanding and addressing these problems.

This book offers a novel theory that delves into previously unexplored questions regarding the nature of organizations and their members. It explores the following topics:

The location of organizations as material objects in the natural world.

The metaphysical relationship between organizations and their members.

Whether organizations can be held accountable for attitudes, character traits, and actions.

The significance of feelings of guilt, remorse, and shame within organizations.

The ways in which members are implicated in organizations' wrongdoings.

The appropriate allocation of reparative costs among members.

The book provides provocative and thought-provoking answers to these questions. It argues that organizations are material objects composed of human individuals, much like a pizza is a material object made up of slices. This analogy helps us comprehend organizations' blameworthiness, including their responsibility for actions taken at the organizational level, attitudes, and character traits. Moreover, organizations possess a form of moral self-awareness, which is essential for experiencing feelings of guilt, remorse, and shame. Members can be implicated in organizations' actions in various ways, and the level of their involvement should determine their share of the reparative burdens.

By developing a deeper understanding of the nature of wrongful organizations and the role of individuals within them, this book offers valuable insights into how we can address and rectify these issues in our social, political, and legal systems. It encourages us to think critically about the responsibilities and obligations of organizations and individuals and to develop strategies for promoting ethical and responsible behavior.

Weight: 390g
Dimension: 222 x 149 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192870438