RE: RE: Programmer Liability

midrange-nontech-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>   4. RE: Programmer Liability (Jones, John (US))
>
>The US has granted corporations the same basic rights as individuals.
>However, corporations do not operate on the "value system" (morals and
>ethics) that drive an individual's decision making.  Corporations exist
>solely to produce profit and generate wealth for their owners.  Thus,
>such decisions, while morally & ethically wrong, are sound from a
>business standpoint as they are designed to maximize profit.

There's much truth/fact in this. Likewise, there are balancing truths/facts in 
our system of civil justice where disputes can be settled under the morals and 
ethics of the jury -- at least until appeals remove jury decisions from the 
balance and turn it over to judges who may or may not reflect the same.

But that's the system we have and it's probably as good as we're going to get.

BTW, I don't know exactly why corporations "exist". I'm sure the profit motive 
is/was a primary factor for inventing them and bringing them into our society; 
I wouldn't dispute that. But it definitely is not the sole purpose. A 
corporation may have any purpose that its creators choose. Technically, AFAIK, 
a corporation's purpose is to fulfill the declarations within its charter. 
Beyond that, its purpose is whatever the creators have in mind, whether that's 
an open purpose or hidden. No?

Tom Liotta