Date: May 6, 2026 Time: 11:00 AM Venue: Sala Riunioni Building 29 “Carta”

Abstract: The profits collected by owners of companies are commonly taken to be a just and rightful compensation for the economic risks that they take. However, in the last two-and-a-half centuries, the risk-taking that follows with ownership has been drastically reduced as a consequence of legal and organizational changes, including incorporation, limited liability, and diversified investment. Investing money in companies is no longer per se a particularly risky activity. Therefore, the argument that profits are justified as a rightful reward for the investor’s risk-taking has lost its bite and should be laid to rest. Furthermore, limited liability should be reconsidered and possibly reformed since it encourages socially irresponsible risk-taking.

Sven Ove Hansson is professor in philosophy at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. He is editor-in-chief of Theoria and of the two book series Outstanding Contributions to Logic and Philosophy, Technology, and Society. His research on risk and safety focuses on ethical and epistemological aspects. His other philosophical research includes contributions to the philosophy of science and technology, decision theory, logic, and moral and political philosophy. He is member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and past president of the Society for Philosophy and Technology. He has published well over 350 papers in refereed international journals and books. His books on risk-related topics include The Ethics of Risk (2013), Social and Ethical Aspects of Radiation Risk Management (edited with Deborah Oughton, 2013), The Role of Technology in Science (edited, 2015), The Ethics of Technology. Methods and Approaches (edited, 2017), and Handbook of Safety Principles (edited with Niklas Möller, Jan-Erik Holmberg, and Carl Rollenhagen, 2018).