One of the ideas of Marxism was that of 'alienation' – the idea that humans as a species were alienated from their human nature in the face of technological and industrial advancements; in short, as a side effect of capitalism (Marx, Tucker, & Engel). Socialists unhappily herald capitalism as the advent of bureaucracy, that human beings are surrounded by bureaucracy at every turn; we create it, revel in it, are lost without it and fear its decline. Marx proposed that this onslaught of progress prompted humans to alienate themselves – not merely from each other, but from their own humanness.
             If we examine that claim in the light of big business versus humanity, there are some links to be made. One might speculate that the rise of corporations has tumbled philanthropy before it. Corporations make millions from brands, products and advertising. On the surface they affect an interest in the masses; some corporations attempt to lift their public images and denote themselves as saviors of Africa, or concerned about environmental issues. In the end, though, the same corporations who claim to save Africa sell them products they don't need and exploit them as low-paying workers. Of course, the above analysis of human nature is relying on the assumption that human beings are innately good, and that it is in the doing of good works that we express this, and the exploitation and reduction to numbers of others that we deny it. Big businesses are already doing whatever they please, in the knowledge that unlimited funds and lawsuits can buy them safety. In the future, perhaps commerce will be less accountable, not more so – perhaps corporations actually will own people, not just property. One distant vision of the future might include people who are branded with corporate logos at birth, and a bureaucracy so huge that nothing may be accomplished without a system to guide people.
             Another instance of al...