The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power
Joel Bakan
Free Press
228 pages
$25.00 hardcover

The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan, professor of law at the University of British Columbia, is the perfect book for those who have always felt that there is something wrong with the way corporate America dictates, dominates and destroys the social fabric. It is also a good read for those who still have hopes of becoming part of the business elite and find themselves defending corporate practices on a routine basis. The book’s value is that it provides a clear articulation of some of the problems with the corporate world.

Bakan provides a refreshing and accessible approach to a subject that can quickly become bogged down in technical jargon. While the cover may be red, it is not a new formulation of communism, socialism or any other -ism that brings with it inflammatory and unnecessary rhetoric full of nothing more than platitudes. Bakan takes a logical and consistent approach to his subject matter, allowing anyone who reads the book to take many of its claims seriously.

At times the book can feel a bit choppy, as Bakan strings together quotations and theories of many experts in their respective fields. However, the reliance Bakan has on other scholars, businessmen and historians brings a legitimacy that’s necessary in exploring such a complex and controversial subject matter.

The book is a fairly easy read and the statistics and logic that Bakan employs definitely keep the reader’s interest. For those looking for a scholarly attack on corporate America, this is probably not for you. However, Bakan does provide an excellent framework wherein one may explore the subject matter in a more in-depth and critical fashion.

While Bakan’s writing style is accessible and reader-friendly, the way that he approaches the subject is equally satisfying. Rather than try to demonize corporate CEOs and shareholders, Bakan seeks to expose the inherent problems within the system. He discusses how the corporation has come to inherit its own character through law and social norms—a character that is pathological and exploitative in nature.

Once he establishes the nature and character of the modern corporation, Bakan shows how such an entity is systematically taking away our rights, liberties and democratic heritage. The corporation has volunteered to make our decisions for us and in return asks nothing more than servitude and unquestioned loyalty.

Finally, when one is ready to send all those corporate bastards back to the hell from which they emerged, Baken aptly points out that corporations are creatures of our design and in the end a reflection of who we are. Yet this bitter diagnosis comes with the optimism that people really aren’t pathological creatures fueled by insatiable greed. Yes, things can—and hopefully will—change.
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