Financial Reporting and Ethics - The Institute of Chartered ...

ETHICAL FRAMEWORK, CONCEPTS AND VALUEmust be moral for anyone else; everyone should be able to followthe same underlying principle. For instance, there can be noexception to the principle that murder is immoral or that lying isimmoral. We are therefore commanded to do what is morallyright, which must be such that, in doing it, none of us interfereswith or prevents others from doing it. As De George observes, “inmany instances people who act immorally trade on the fact thatnot everyone does what they do”.The second formulation otherwise referred to as the principle ofhumanity goes thus:Act so that you treat humanity, whether is your own personor in that of another, always as an end and never as ameans only.Kant’s emphasis here is on the rational nature of humans asfree, intelligent and self directing beings. This nature ofrationality is the basis for his/her value as an end in itself.Because of this, “a rational being is worthwhile, has dignity andis worthy of respect. Hence each person should be treated byevery person as an end, with respect and dignity…”This formulation forbids us to ‘use’ people and manipulate themmerely as means to our own ends. According to Kant, it is adifferent statement of the supreme moral law contained in thefirst formulation. Hence, it commands and forbids the sameactions as the first formulation. The formula of the end-in-itself,according to Kant, generates both negative and positive duties.In the negative sense, we treat persons as ends when we do notinterfere with their pursuit of their (legitimate) ends. In thepositive sense we treat persons as ends when we endeavour tohelp them realize their (legitimate) ends. It entails making otherpeople’s ends one’s ends, and requires that we do those acts whichare necessary to further the permissible ends of others.Finally, the treatments that rational beings deserve as ends inthemselves, could also be seen in the form of right. People thushave right to life, and this right imposes obligation, on othersnot to take their life and in certain conditions to help thempreserve it.(g)Aristotlelism (Virtue Ethics)The moral values of actions are often times considered onparticular actions, virtue ethics, however starts from a differentperspective. Instead of evaluating every single action based on125