| In an effort to define the word "integrity", I came up | | | | usually not know they are acting immorally. Thus one |
| with some explanations, after consulting some | | | | may acknowledge a person to have integrity even |
| dictionaries and encyclopaedias. | | | | though that person may hold importantly mistaken |
| Integrity is made up of several words, meanings and | | | | moral views. |
| synonyms. It consists of a lot of what can be | | | | When used as a virtue term, 'integrity' refers to a |
| described as ethical and moral values or civilised | | | | quality of a person's character; however, there are |
| values. | | | | other uses of the term. One may speak of the |
| 1. Soundness: | | | | integrity of a wilderness region or an ecosystem, a |
| This refers to how healthy an opinion, argument, | | | | computerized database, a defense system, a work of |
| reasoning or a research finding is, implying how free it | | | | art, and so on. When it is applied to objects, integrity |
| is from flaw, defect or decay. | | | | refers to the wholeness, intactness or purity of a |
| Also, how free is it from error, fallacy, or | | | | thing-meanings that are sometimes carried over when |
| misapprehension; exhibiting or based on thorough | | | | it is applied to people. A wilderness region has integrity |
| knowledge and experience; legally valid; logically valid | | | | when it has not been corrupted by development or by |
| and having true premises; agreeing with accepted | | | | the side-effects of development, when it remains |
| views. | | | | intact as wilderness. A database maintains its integrity |
| It also means solid, firm, stable and thorough; showing | | | | as long as it remains uncorrupted by error; a defense |
| good sense or judgment based on valid information. | | | | system as long as it is not breached. A musical work |
| 2. Completeness: | | | | might be said to have integrity when its musical |
| It means having all necessary parts, elements, or steps; | | | | structure has a certain completeness that is not |
| highly proficient; totally, absolutely, thoroughly and fully | | | | intruded upon by uncoordinated, unrelated musical |
| carried out; including all possible parts. | | | | ideas; that is, when it possesses a kind of musical |
| 3. Sincerity: | | | | wholeness, intactness and purity. |
| It means fairness and straightforwardness of conduct; | | | | Integrity is also attributed to various parts or aspects |
| adherence to the facts. | | | | of a person's life. We speak of attributes such as |
| 4. Honesty: | | | | professional, intellectual and artistic integrity. However, |
| It implies a refusal to lie, steal, or deceive in any way. | | | | the most philosophically important sense of the term |
| 5. Honor: | | | | 'integrity' relates to general character. Philosophers |
| It suggests an active or anxious regard for the | | | | have been particularly concerned to understand what |
| standards of one's profession, calling, or position. | | | | it is for a person to exhibit integrity throughout life. |
| 6. Probity: | | | | Acting with integrity on some particularly important |
| It implies tried and proven honesty or truthfulness. | | | | occasion will, philosophically speaking, always be |
| 7. Incorruptibility: | | | | explained in terms of broader features of a person's |
| It implies trustworthiness and truthfulness to a degree | | | | character and life. |
| that one is incapable of being false to a trust, | | | | What is it to be a person of integrity? Ordinary |
| responsibility or pledge. | | | | discourse about integrity involves two fundamental |
| It also finally means being incapable of corruption; not | | | | intuitions: first, that integrity is primarily a formal relation |
| subject to decay or dissolution; incapable of being | | | | one has to oneself, or between parts or aspects of |
| bribed or morally corrupted. | | | | one's self; and second, that integrity is connected in an |
| 8. Conclusion: | | | | important way to acting morally, in other words, there |
| The question to be asked is where does a nation | | | | are some substantive or normative constraints on |
| stand with regard to these principles of integrity; where | | | | what it is to act with integrity. How these two intuitions |
| does an organisation or political party stand and finally | | | | can be incorporated into a consistent theory of |
| what is my individual position? This synonymous | | | | integrity is not obvious, and most accounts of integrity |
| question can also be asked: How civilised are we? | | | | tend to focus on one of these intuitions to the |
| 9. Resources: | | | | detriment of the other. |
| Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy | | | | A number of accounts have been advanced, the most |
| Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia | | | | important of them being: (i) integrity as the integration |
| Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary | | | | of self; (ii) integrity as maintenance of identity; (iii) |
| 10. The Stanford University Encyclopedia of Philosophy | | | | integrity as standing for something; (iv) integrity as |
| states the following: | | | | moral purpose; and (v) integrity as a virtue. These |
| "Integrity is one of the most important and oft-cited of | | | | accounts are reviewed below. We then examine |
| virtue terms. It is also perhaps the most puzzling. For | | | | several issues that have been of central concern to |
| example, while it is sometimes used virtually | | | | philosophers exploring the concept of integrity: the |
| synonymously with 'moral,' we also at times distinguish | | | | relations between types of integrity, integrity and moral |
| acting morally from acting with integrity. Persons of | | | | theory, and integrity and social and political conditions. |
| integrity may in fact act immorally-though they would | | | | |