What Is Moral Integrity?

Moral integrity is a very abstract term. It refers to a moral value and an ethical notion which is complex by nature. Many philosophers and theologians have tried to explain and describe this concept for a long time. The most satisfying definition is that it is a virtue that lays the foundation for all other virtues and is therefore fundamental to all others.

While integrity as a whole is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes, in ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy, in that it regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties that seemingly hold conflicting values should account for the discrepancies or alter their beliefs.

The word "integrity" stems from the Latin adjective integer meaning whole or complete. In this context, integrity is the inner sense of "wholeness" deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. As such, one may judge that others "have integrity" to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold.

A value system's depth and range of applicable interaction may also function as significant factors in identifying integrity due to their congruence or lack of congruence with observation. A value system may evolve over time while retaining integrity if those who uphold the values account for and resolve inconsistencies.

Ethical meanings of integrity used in medicine and law refer to a quality of "wholeness" that must be present in the human body and in the body of law, respectively. Such wholeness is defined by "sacred" axioms such as unity, consistency, purity, unspoiled and uncorrupted.

In discussions on behavior and morality, one view of integrity sees it as the virtue of basing actions on an internally-consistent framework of principles. This scenario may emphasize depth of principles and adherence of each level of axioms to those it logically relies upon. One can describe a person as having ethical integrity to the extent that everything that that person does or believes: Actions, methods, measures and principles, are all derived from a single core group of values.

One essential aspect of a consistent framework is its avoidance of any unwarranted (arbitrary) exceptions for a particular person or group - especially the person or group that holds the framework. In law, this principle of universal application requires that even those in positions of official power be subject to the same laws as their fellow citizens. In personal ethics, this principle requires that one should not act according to any rule that one would not wish to see universally followed. For example, one should not steal unless one would want to live in a world in which everyone was a thief. This was formally described by the philosopher Immanuel Kant in his categorical imperative.

In the context of accountability, integrity serves as a measure of willingness to adjust a value system to maintain or improve its consistency, when an expected result appears incongruent with observed outcome. Some regard integrity as a virtue in that they see accountability and moral responsibility as necessary tools for maintaining such consistency.