Integrity

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This article is about the ethical concept. For other uses, see Integrity (disambiguation).
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In discussions on behavior and morality, one view of the property 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 to the next.[citation needed] One can describe a person as having integrity to the extent that everything that that person does derives from the same core set of values. While those values may change, their consistency with each other and with the person's actions determine the person's degree of integrity.

Some commentators stress the idea of integrity as personal honesty: acting according to one's beliefs and values at all times. It can emphasize the "wholeness" or "intactness" of a moral stance or attitude. Relevant views of wholeness may also emphasize commitment and authenticity. Some views[who?] also associate the concept of sincerity.

Other approaches to integrity emphasize the "wholeness" or "intactness" of a moral stance/attitude (harking back wittingly or unwittingly to the etymological parallels of the word in the Latin intactus, meaning "untouched"); relevant views of wholeness may also emphasize commitment, authenticity or esteem. The idea of structural integrity relates to this: compare structural engineering.

Some regard integrity as a virtue in that they see accountability and moral responsibility as necessary tools for maintaining consistency between one's actions and one's principles, methods and measures, especially when an expected result appears incongruent with observed outcome.

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[edit] Evaluating/measuring integrity

Popular discussions of integrity often see the concept as an all-or-nothing affair: one describes an approved person as "having integrity" (as an absolute), but condemns an enemy or a collective enemy organization as "completely lacking in integrity".

English-speakers may measure integrity in non-enumerated units called "scraps", speaking of preserving one's "last scraps of integrity". This may imply that integrity in such situations can appear brittle or fragile — and apt to tarnish or decay.

See also structural integrity.

[edit] Science

The integrity of science (as a process and as a body of knowledge) relies on a set of testing[citation needed] known as the scientific method. To the extent that a proof follows the requirements of the method, one can consider it scientific. The Popperian scientific method includes measures to ensure unbiased testing and the requirement that the hypotheses have falsifiability.

[edit] (Tests of) professional integrity

Integrity (honesty) tests aim towards identifying which persons may hide negative or derogatory events from their past (such as doing prison time, getting psychiatric treatment, alcohol problems, etc.) or which persons may cause trouble for an employer. These tests make certain assumptions, namely[1] that such persons report more dishonest behavior, they try to find reasons in order to justify such behavior, they think others more likely to commit crimes (like theft, for example), they exhibit impulsive behavior and tend to think that society should severely punish deviant behavior.

The pretension of such tests to detect fake answers plays a crucial role in this respect, because the naive really believe such outright lies and behave accordingly, reporting their past deviance because they fear that otherwise their answers will reveal it. The more Pollyannaish the answers, the higher the integrity score.[2]

[edit] Mathematics

The philosophy of mathematics bases integrity on consistency of mathematical proof, which one can test weakly or strongly, as part of the process of differentiating it from folk mathematics. Mathematical integrity becomes strengthened through definition as the result of a tautology and where it demonstrably forms a part of a larger and consistent body of mathematics.

[edit] Other integrities

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Disciplines and fields with an interest in integrity include philosophy of action, philosophy of medicine, the mind, cognition, consciousness, materials science, engineering and politics.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ van Minden, Jack J.R. (2005). "Alles over psychologische tests". Business Contact, page 207. ISBN 978-90-254-0415-4.
  2. ^ Compare van Minden, Jack J.R. (2005). "Alles over psychologische tests". Business Contact, page 207. ISBN 978-90-254-0415-4.