[anigbrowl]

I suggest we start with the existing concept of a legal person. Lawyers, judges, and legislators already know quite well that a corporation is not a real person, which is why I referred to it as a 'legal fiction' above. The purpose of such a legal fiction is economy, that is not having to have two complete sets for rules for individuals and groups in matters of property, contract, and tort.

I would not begin with your definition above; I just gave a few obvious examples of why corporate personhood makes legal disputes an awful lot simpler for everyone involved, to the point where most people take it for granted. Corporations are the solution to legal problems involving collective action. Their history is intertwined with the development of modern democracy, as groups became a viable alternative to monarchs. If you want to understand the origin of corporations in common law systems, you may as well begin with the City of London Corporation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London_Corporation