Virtue, Character, and CPA Obligations
Traits of character such as honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness enable a person to act with virtue and apply the moral point of view. Kurt Baier, a well-known moral philoso- pher, discusses the moral point of view as being one that emphasizes practical reason and
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Chapter 1 Ethical Reasoning: Implications for Accounting 21
rational choice. 53 To act ethically means to incorporate ethical values into decision making and to reflect on the rightness or wrongness of alternative courses of action. The ethical val- ues in accounting flow from its professional codes of conduct and include those identified by state boards of accountancy: the core values of integrity, objectivity, and independence; attitudes for exercising professional skepticism; and a framework for ethical reasoning.
Aristotle believed that deliberation (reason and thought) precedes the choice of action and we deliberate about things that are in our power (voluntary) and can be realized by action. The deliberation that leads to the action always concerns choices, not the ends. We take the end for granted—a life of excellence or virtue—and then consider in what manner and by what means it can be realized. In accounting, we might say that the end is to gain the public trust and serve the public interest, and the means to achieve that end is by acting in accordance with the profession’s ethical standards.
Aristotle’s conception of virtue incorporates positive traits of character that enable rea- soned judgments to be made, and in accounting, they support integrity—the inner strength of character to withstand pressures that might otherwise overwhelm and negatively influ- ence their professional judgment. A summary of the virtues is listed in Exhibit 1.4 .