Why Corporations Are Not Morally Responsible for Anything They Do

Does it really make any sense to say that corporations are for their wrongful actions? Granted, we often and easily assume that saying this makes perfectly good sense. But a moment!s reflection might make us pause before so easily attributing moral respon sibility to corporate groups. It is relatively clear what we mean when we say that a human individual is morally responsible for some wrongful act. Simplifying somewhat, we mean, at least, that individual personally performed or helped to perform act, that she did so intentionally, and that she is justifiably liable to blame and perhaps punishment. It is not equally clear what we mean when we say that a group of individuals is morally responsible for a wrong?that Ford Motor Company, for example, is for causing deaths of many of those killed in Pinto accidents. Clearly we do not mean that everyone in Ford caused or helped to cause these deaths. Nor do we mean that everyone in Ford should be blamed or punished. Perhaps we mean that responsibility attaches not to each individual in group but to the group as a whole. But what is the group as a whole if not every individual in group?