Corporate Capitalism and Political Philosophy

Suman Gupta

Description

Corporate capitalism is usually examined from a sociological or economic viewpoint, and this book breaks new ground in providing a thorough account of the mechanisms which define it from a philosophical perspective, revealing how these processes determine the way we live today.



Marxist and other left-oriented political philosophies had ideological roots that were based, sometimes incongruously, on particular economic and sociological readings of the capitalist process. Political philosophies associated with conservatism and neoliberalism have either been assimilated within capitalist discourses, or they have been designed to justify corporate capitalist processes.



This book re-examines these issues with an unusually dispassionate approach, providing a systematic view of contemporary corporate capitalism in all its complexity, without expecting the reader to have a specialist knowledge of sociology or economics. It clarifies the scope of political philosophy by reflecting on its own methodology and practice, and offers a controversial conclusion that within contemporary corporate capitalist modes of organisation there is actually no space left for political philosophy at all, as corporate capitalism systematically denies all political agents an ability to exercise their political will.
Part I: Philosophical Methods and Capitalist Processes: Means, Definitions, Intentions

1. The Evasiveness of Corporate Capitalism

2. The Political State

3. The Capitalist Corporation

4. The Contradictions of Capitalism

5. Intentional Systems

6. What Follows

Part II: Reasons, Causes and Practices in Contemporary Corporate Capitalism

7. Classical Sociology and Managerialism

8. Management Discourses

9. The Macro-Issues Behind Executive Pay

10. Corporatism and the Corporate Capitalist State

11. Corporate Capitalist States and International Politics

Part III: The Disabled Political Will and Anti-Political Philosophy

12. The Mechanics of Disablement

13. The Anti-Political Self-Defeat of Mannheim

14. Popper’s Anti-Political Philosophical Tendencies

15. Hayek and the Mature Anti-Political Philosophy

16. Nozick’s Anti-Political Philosophy

17. Fukuyama’s Anti-Political Philosophy

18. The Need for Rational Utopian Thinking

Notes

Index

Sujets

• Economic Policy
• Public Policy
• Political Science
• Histoire
• Political economy
• Theory
• History
• Politique

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 décembre 2001
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781849641142
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Corporate Capitalism and Political Philosophy

Suman Gupta

P Pluto Press LONDON • STERLING, VIRGINIA

First published 2002 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA and 22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166–2012, USA

www.plutobooks.com

Copyright © Suman Gupta 2002

The right of Suman Gupta to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Gupta, Suman, 1966– Corporate capitalism and political philosophy / Suman Gupta. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0–7453–1755–3 — ISBN 0–7453–1754–5 (pbk.) 1. Corporations. 2. Capitalism. 3. Community life. 4. Political science—Philosophy. I. Title. HD2731 .G86 2002 3052.3'5—dc21 20

ISBN 0 7453 1755 3 hardback ISBN 0 7453 1754 5 paperback

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01004545

Designed and produced for Pluto Press by Chase Publishing Services, Fortescue, Sidmouth EX10 9QG Typeset from disk by Stanford DTP Services, Towcester Printed in the European Union by TJ International, Padstow, England

Contents

Acknowledgements

Part I

Philosophical Methods and Capitalist Processes: Means, Definitions, Intentions

1. The Evasiveness of Corporate Capitalism 2. The Political State 3. The Capitalist Corporation 4. The Contradictions of Capitalism 5. Intentional Systems

Part II

Reasons, Causes and Practices in Contemporary Corporate Capitalism

6. Classical Sociology and Managerialism 7. Management Discourses 8. The Macro Issues Behind Executive Pay 9. Corporatism and the Corporate Capitalist State 10. Corporate Capitalist States and International Relations

Part III

11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.

The Disabled Political Will and AntiPolitical Philosophy

The Mechanics of Disablement The Anti-Political Self-Defeat of Mannheim Popper’s Anti-Political Philosophical Tendencies Hayek and the Mature Anti-Political Philosophy Nozick’s Anti-Political Philosophy Fukuyama’s Anti-Political Philosophy The Need for Rational Utopian Thinking

Notes Index

vii

3 12 21 28 52

65 92 113 139 155

171 185 197 210 225 244 255

263 284

To Cheng and Ayan

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Achim Brosch, Mark Turner, Martin Jenkins and Xiao Cheng for reading sections of this book and making insightful comments, and to Roger van Zwanenberg of Pluto Press for supporting this project and undertaking its publication.

vii

Part I

Philosophical Methods and Capitalist Processes: Means, Definitions, Intentions

1

The Evasiveness of Corporate Capitalism

Nothing evades the approach of political philosophy as deftly, or denies the application of political philosophy as stubbornly, as the condition and practice of corporate capitalism in our time. At this point, at the beginning of this study, I offer this statement intuitively – without the academic frame of validating evidence or authorita- tive support – but I think it rings true. It is my intention here to bring, insofar as I can, the amorphous unwieldy ever-assimilative area of corporate capitalism in our time (as the millennium turns) underthe gaze of political philosophy, and render itsubjectto the concerns of political philosophy. A few preliminary definitions (however tentatively and provi- sionally offered) and initial resolutions are unavoidable. So, a tentative definition to set the ball rolling: political philosophy is an attempt at understanding (illuminating, clarifying, elucidating) and conceptualising human communal existence (indi- viduals living together and with an awareness of living together in terms of some notion of collectivity) with a view to conducting this communal existence by certain ostensibly practicable means towards certain apparently determinable ends. The attempt at understand- ing and conceptualising a given state of human communal existence could itself reveal what the relevant political means and ends should be. But political means and ends need not be based so squarely on analytical or critical grounds. Political means and ends could simply be considered as given, for instance, or could well prove to be relevant only for certain parties and irrelevant for others. These too would come under the purview of political philosophy, at least insofar as the effort of understanding and conceptualising involved in political philosophy would enable an assessment or critique of all available political means and ends, with a view to supporting some and rejecting some or supporting none and finding new ones. I call this a tentative definition because I would like to reserve the right to modify it and elaborate on it in any way that becomes necessary as this study progresses. As it stands now, without the support of illustration or explanation, it might seem like a bald

3

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Corporate Capitalism and Political Philosophy

collection of words – suggestive and coherent in several ways, yet not entirely transparent. I hope to give it more flesh, and substanti- ate it or elaborate on it in different ways, as this study touches upon specific issues. Even as it stands, however, it is probably coherent enough to indicate why the concerns of political philosophy and the nuances of corporate capitalism in our time meet awkwardly, if at all. Political philosophy begins and ends in its concern (or occa- sionally lack thereof) for human communal existence. The corporation which is devoted to the maximisation of capital, and the systems and institutions which are designed to allow this cor- poration more or less free play to do so (roughly what I mean by corporate capitalism), mayneedto take account of the nuances of human communal existence, but do not necessarily derive from or answer to any concern (or even lack thereof) for human communal existence. The means and ends here are no more than those which serve the abstract person of the capitalist corporation (such as a company, for example) itself, or the real persons who invest in some way in the capitalist corporation. There is indubitably a voluntaris- tic and optimistic energy about political philosophy – ‘if we consensually understand and conceptualise we can do what is necessary’ usually seems to be the underlying idea. The dynamism of corporate capitalism is of a quite different order. Corporate capitalism essentially presents the heroism and determination which can overcome (by collaborating with or forestalling) apparently uncontrollable or at best only semi-controllable forces – competi- tion, market forces, consumer behaviour, labour constraints, technological constraints, etc. More often than not political philosophy is a celebration of intellectual and moral rationality; whereas generally corporate capitalism exalts the instinct, foresight, intuition, etc. of its participants (entrepreneurs, promoters, investors, managers, and so on). When political philosophy conceives of the happening of politics in the world it is in terms ofrationalaction in some universalised sense; when corporate capitalism is involved in the happening of politics it is primarily in terms ofeffectiveorefficient action to serve certain limited and accountable ends – ultimately the maximisation of capital. Political philosophy and corporate capitalism are both involved in the happening of politics, but there is little other common discursive ground. It is therefore generally true to say that there is no political philosophyofcorporate capitalism: there is either political philosophyafterthe fact of corporate capitalism (a poor

The Evasiveness of Corporate Capitalism

5

second cousin, trying to do no more than justify what corporate capitalism does and/or achieves in terms which are of no interest to corporate capitalism as such), or more potently there is political philosophyagainstcorporate capitalism. But there is something unsatisfying about this situation. Philosophy should be neither partial nor hostile without reason. At least to begin with, philosophy should be neutral. When I say that I will try to bring corporate capitalismunderthe gaze of political philosophy, make corporate capitalismsubjectto the concerns of political philosophy, I am making a rhetorical gesture. It is a rhetorical gesture that announces at the outset that I am on the side of political philosophy and that I wish to confront corporate capitalism without evasions and without any unnecessary partiality or hostility. I wish to scrutinise (whether I am able to or not is another matter) the condition and practice of corporate capitalism in our time dispassionately and see how these bear upon a philo- sophical concern with human communal existence and with political ends and means. I particularly attempt this because I suspect that the evasiveness of corporate capitalism to the approach of political philosophy is indicative of something deeper:that, in fact, the systems and processes of contemporary corporate capitalism are such that they undermine politics, subvert political philosophy, disable the political philosopher and political activist in some essential sense, even while appearing not to.By confronting corporate capitalism dispas- sionately and single-mindedly from the side of political philosophy I should be able either to confirm this or discount this.

To scrutinise the condition and practice of corporate capitalism in our time: what could that mean? What is the object to be scrutinised thatiscorporate capitalism, or the frame or area or phenomenon to be observed thatmanifestscorporate capitalism? Surely, the political concern with human communal existence – that broad putative object, human communal existence – would not in itself provide a frame for the particular attempt to come to grips with corporate capitalism in our time? That object is the object for all political philosophy; the specific political philosophical quest of this study requires a delineation of object (withinhuman communal existence) whereby corporate capitalism would be confronted. Human collec- tivity itself would have to be redescribed or reassessed in a manner