Humanities & Social Sciences
April 2020
Ecocide
Kill the corporation before it kills us
by David Whyte
Private, profit making organisations, known as corporations, are threatening to hasten the end of the human species. If this seems like a rather dramatic or exaggerated statement, then this book explains why we have to regard the corporation as the most pressing threat to the future of the planet. In short, we need to take the corporation seriously. The book argues that this means being able to see the corporation for what it is: an illusionary artificial 'person' that real people hide behind. The book uncovers the dual function of the corporation: to protect the interests of a narrow class of elites, and at the same time to mask the processes by which they make money. It further shows the mechanisms it uses to achieve this dual function are now out of control and cannot be controlled. The book develops a new theoretical framework, drawing on a Marxist perspective updated for the 21st century, to illuminate a large number of shocking corporate crimes, and acts of extreme violence that are woven together to build an irresistible conclusion: we have to kill the corporation before it kills us!
