Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Should We Strive For Integrity?, Damian Cox, Marguerite La Caze, Michael Levine

Damian Cox

Even by people whose moral views diverge widely, integrity is commonly thought of as something worthwhile, a valuable personal characteristic. It is, consequently, something we commonly suppose worth striving to cultivate both in ourselves and in those under our care. Nancy Schauber (1996) offers a provocative challenge to this conventional wisdom - arguing (in all seriousness) that integrity is either something we possess simply in virtue of being persons or else it is not something worth having. An analysis of her truncated accounts of integrity and commitment will show why her argument fails. That is does fail is a victory …