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@@ -0,0 +1,299 @@ +\chapter{} + +So we begin again from another angle, +using one of the most highly computerized +of modern entities: the corporation. We will +talk for a while about entities, borders (or +skins), sets, organisms, time-series, populations and genetics. + +We live in a time when corporate operations have become speeded up. They have +become mobile: they waltz across the sea: +they take wing and fly into the night: they +grow slender and slip through 30 gigabyte-wide needle's eyes. They attack and pillage +one another. They split into pieces and recoalesce. They live in this age and other +ages. Metanational entities gobble up chunks +of their national hosts. Nothing new about +that: what is new is the informational paraphenalia and the high-speed, distance-insensitive, time-devouring equipment which +pressages a vast political change. + +Corporations are --- at least legally, and +metaphorically --- seperate entities. At the +same time they are not. They are linked into +para/meta/supra/sub-networks by investors, +interlocking consortia, +joint ventures, cartels... They defy the notion of discrete sets. +A corporation has a boundary only for purposes of classification and identification. +(By the same token, one can also say that +conceptual imprisonment denies the human +their individuality.) + +A corporation is defined as a living being +in the \emph{contemplation} of the Law. A corporation is diverse. The contemplating Law is +also not only diverse, but dynamic and +changeable, requiring lawyers, plaintiffs, +litigants, defendants, judges and legal memory banks (precedents) assembled through +the ages. (Law too is being placed in data +banks, where into a system called Lexis.) +a corporation spans nations, +And it is contemplated by several systems of law at +the same time. Are we expected to believe +that the emanation of a complex of people, +events and memories, the law, can \emph{contemplate} the abstracted emanation of a complex +of people, events and memorigs, a corporation? That is to say a fiction, or anthology, or +novel, contemplates another fiction, another +anthology, another novel. A sort of organic +\emph{character}? We need hunt no further. Here, +truly, is artificial intelligence. Why spend +any more R\&D money? + +The corporation +can be represented as +information in a pure, financial form, which +is a slice of the composite life of lives and works +in progress, taken at some point +in time. (Financial institutions, especially +banks, are considered here because of all +business, the financial entity is the most +heavily intellectualized, the most heavily +dependent on computers and communications. The technology is inextricably bound +up with the value-flows, the calculations +being fundamentally simple.) While appearing abstract, +ideal, it is neither ideal nor +platonic, nor is it static. Its positions can be +caught in an account sheet, but not in its +motion. Its motion can be caught, but the +positions are lost. Sound familiar? Its existence now requires the constant intervention +of humans and machines, managing, evaluating, working, integrating it into a market +structure. It includes several methodological histories; the evolution of the notion of +evaluation and the history of its accretion of +value. This is to say humans and machines +producing, trading, buying and selling money +or near-money. If it is to have life, it must +have lives to keep on working. Its abstract +operations have concrete results that drive +the lives of the people inside of it and +outside of it. + +With the advent of the high-speed calculator, robots, and programs (based on long +statistical runs of past performances, accretions of admonitory history-scenarios and +tortured equations) which mimic some financial transactions, +such trading and instantaneous as automated communication +programs to link buyers and sellers into an +electronic market, it becomes possible to +concieve of a pure, automated and constantly adjusted financial corporation, one totally +devoid of humans, territories, factories...It +would do all the things financial organizations do: move money around, trade, arbitrage, take deposits, account, merge, acquire, make long and short term loans, divest, invest, liquidate, grow, collect, lobby +for laws, pay or dodge taxes, contemplate +risk and probability, now and then order an +assasination, all while living in exotic, anaerobic climes. + +If there is no plant in the physical sense, +there have to be virtual \emph{plants}, as-if factories, +represented on paper or in computers, stored +in data banks, to guide bankers in their +moves, driven by modes of evaluation, lists +of people and institutions to borrow from or +loan to, risk studies about good and bad investments (prophetic programs; Joseph scenarios), market-switching-and-routing programs for heaving pools of money this way +and that. + +But to be meaningful, this fictional being must be connected to other markets and +other forms of endeavor in real time, a something, somewhere in the universe to connect +to, someplace to enter inputs, a someone, or +set of someones or the simulation of someones to credit these messages from this totally automated financial institution. Most of +all, such an ideal financial being, in order to +exist, must be credible: that is, accepted as a +motivating act of faith, by other institutions, +other beings, and Law. This has not happened yet. As we talk about corporations, we +still detect humans ... somewhere, if only +living in palaces. It still needs humans to +interact. Humans to be affected by these +interactions. Although one can see a time +when some automated complex of corporations consume +what some automated +complex of corporations produce. + +We talk about the life of the corporation in +several ways, as we talk about the life of an +organism. Humans are stockholders, directors, traders, officers, consumers, +workers. All who contribute to the life and existence +of this contemplated being have histories, both social and biological. They may also be +defined as a gene-pool, although differing from a race. This population is the result of +diversified reproduction as against non-diversified reproduction (a tribe, clan, race, +ethnicity, nation; those with subsets of shared genes). There is, to be sure, such a +thing as a family corporation, a form that +bridges the gap between a dynasty and +shareholder \enquote{democracy.}) Thus one can +say that the corporation has a sort of genetic +structure, one composed of sets of genetic +structures, each set composed of parts of +other sets, defined or ensetted not so much +by family or race consanguinity as by their +participation in the enterprise. Indirectly, +this corporate organism has, so to speak, a +genome, which is to say a complete genetic +constitution. +At the same time its participants invest, give life to, guide the destinies +of other such entities which have different +genomes, for one must spread risk and diversify. + +Another way to think about the corporation is from the perspective of investments +(stock, bonds, etc.), plus other rules for life, +governance and growth (even replication). +This combination of investments and rules +can be considered as the genes of the corporate, fictional organism. These metagenes +are said to express themselves into living +organisms. Genes, information of living beings express themselves into other living +beings and also into metagentic forms: capital, which has its own rules of continuity and +metamorphosis. + +Investments shapeshift into material life. +Here we have begun to introduce the concept of modern significant demographies in +which contiguity, as well as continuity is +provided by investment, participation and +modern communication. Replication does +not require face-to-face existence. And so the +question of space and time is raised again. +Offshore receptacles with names, await; +Panama is said to have at least one hundred +thousand corporations of all sorts. Some are +real. Some are shells, mere names +of fabulous beasts that are inspirited and informed +by a shower of electronic gold. + +It is possible to perform a mind experiment. Consider the genes, in their informa- +tional aspect, of all who interact with the +corporation, and search for something in +common between genetics and corporate +life, belongingness, in turn related to the +equity\slash debt\slash assets expressed as stock, directorship, management, etc. This new set of +translations relates to the organism's two +totalities and is exemplified in the annual +report, the balance sheet, which is a slice of +life, frozen in time, but as transtemporally +allusive to past and future histories as, say, +Eliot's time-meditations in \booktitle{The Four Quartets}. + +This being's genome can be seen as the +result of a long stretch of accreted historic +information (the story of the buildup of +equity and credit) which can, through a +series of reconstitutions (as one reads past +organisms, arranged in a historic sequence, +in the genetic memory of any being), be +remodeled backwards on to life, production +and reproduction of gods and humans. The +\emph{names} of those past and present humans, the +lives as they live, replicate in parallel, can be +mapped to the corporation's replication pattern. Or we can go forward again from these +humans +to dissolve +them, +their essences, +into this legal fiction, this corporate being. +It's a simple mapping problem; genetic information encrypting corporate information +and conversely. Once again; we should not +forget that both sets of information involve +human activity, or at least the \emph{still-living +memory} of human activity. Considering the +age-old continuity of some dynastic fortunes, +this is not too arcane to believe. After all, the +corporation is a metaphor embodying real +human existence. It is a chimera. + +Corporate mergers are referred to in sexual +terms; marriage, even rape. Are these mere +words, anthropomorphisms used to describe +a phenomenon too complex for words? Shorthand? Key words, which when decrypted, +open up a vision of vast legal and credit data +banks containing huge record depositories +of swiftly shifting law, money, reports, +memos, +accountings, as well as histories of +the mixing of complex social groupings, +populations, evolving, revolving through a +variety of forms? An analogy? + +There is a problem here: are we to take a +metaphor seriously? Is it truly descriptive of +a complex reality? No, but... The keyword +always becomes an intrinsic contentual part +of the phenomenon descibed; it is wrenched +loose with the greatest difficulty. What do +lawyers and accountants argue about? They +argue about \emph{words} and \emph{semantics}. They +structure, deconstruct, semiotisize, mine the +law-bodies for hermeneutic nuggets: they do +\emph{literary} criticism and linguistic analysis. +They invent new, post-dated critical theory. + +And if we are talking about fictions, try to +think of what the Oedipus Complex describes +without the word \enquote{Oedipus} to unlock the +memory bank. Try to think of the merging, +through a marriage, involving two individuals, representative of two complex dynasties +(corporate entities) and fortunes (bloodlines +or genes; property and treasure); royal families. Whenever we are talking of corporate or +dynastic marriage, in terms of informational +essences, we are describing an alchemical +wedding, a marriage of heroes, gods, archeiypal figures, and enterprise. But what is it +that is mated? People? Yes. But also information: +bonds, representations, money, deeds, abstractions symbols (stock, for land) +which are generalized information, not specific to any corporations, resolvable into +things --- people, factories --- as the genetic +information is potentially resolvable into +bodies of living beings, races, once properly +expressed. + +A vast practical and ceremonial apparatus +is required to bring alchemical essences together. A vast, practical, biological and cere- +monial apparatus is required to bring the +genetic essences of any two people together. +When it comes to the marriage of dynasties +or fortunes, ceremonial behavior increases +(to say nothing about a great to-do about +contracts). Mating dances. (Stock in \emph{this} +company or \emph{that} company allows for certain +kinds celebratory rites and participations. +When stock is loaned against currency, that +currency is potentially part of \emph{any} corporation, but only when traded for new securities +with their particular, limited set of behavioral instructions.) + +If a human is a combination of two halved +gene-sets, a kind of information-bearing and +organism-producing program, then a corporate merger is a multi-sexual, abstract orgy. It +requires dozens, thousands of essence-sets +to conjoin, to participate, to be transferred in +order to materialize into another kind of +existence. Certainly as long as human activity goes on, as long as computerized and +abstraction-activity goes on, as long as it is +recognized in the contemplation of law and +the faith of people, this wonderous being +lives. Go tell someone that IBM does not live. + +Do analogies of corporate marriage incorrectly define this entity? While we wait --- +probably forever\footnote{Sorry, Sol. --- S.W. Editorial} --- for pure, artificial intelligence to come on line and carry on the purified and transcendent sum of knowledge, making +new, autonomous decisions, we can say: no humans, no corporations. +No human reproduction, birth, death? No corporations. The corporations may not +actually mate, but mating and reproduction must go on somewhere. Is this any sillier +than saying, as the sociobiologists do, that the body is nature's way of producing more +DNA? The exchanges, assets, liabilities, accretions, all the other signs of operations +in the corporation's informational sphere +can be said to be determinants of social +behavior inside and outside (wherever its +influence reaches) this being. It's individuals are just as caught up in a sort of fate as +poor Oedipus (a dynastic drama) was. Considering +the rhetoric; invisible religions, +acts of abject faith, superstition, lurk beneath +the most rational, mathematical and scientific works. Magic continues to shape human +behavior. + +In ancient mythology there were organisms that had lion's heads, wings, human +bodies, snake's tails, the heads of hawks and +owls... We could in principle make a genetic map +of such a being. A modern, diversified transnational being is, of course, +infinitely more complex and amorphous, for +have an organism composed of living we +things, dead things, and the rememberances +of things dead and past, no less phantasmagoric than those ancient sphinxes, chimeras, +minotaurs and hydras. + |