The Responsibility Arc

 That fossil fuel companies are more irresponsible than nuclear weapons and gun manufacturers begs the question of how they got that way. Is irresponsibility an emergent property, sort of like self preservation? Rather, I like to think collectives became progressively more irresponsible over time, whereas they have always had the same amount of survival instinct. I think every property, including the bottom line, of collectives follows from their survival instinct. That the timescale of increasing irresponsibility of collectives is similar to the timescale of increasing morality is suggestive. I propose irresponsibility of collectives is a reaction against changes in awareness of what is or is not responsible. For example, rather than diversify into renewables, oil companies chose to sit on climate science. That is because their survival was threatened by the need to change. It is easier for a new collective to be different than for an existing one to change. Therefore, the only way the economy can keep up with increasing awareness of what constitutes responsibility, is for voters to eliminate the most irresponsible collectives, starting with an oil major.