Immanuel Kant's Ethical Summary

There is an old saying that it is better to be lucky than good. This may be true if a person is always lucky, but luck sometimes has a tendency to run out. Making decisions that affect other people’s lives based on luck can be sometimes dangerous, and usually ethically questionable. Leaders who routinely depend on luck for success may find themselves relying on other questionable actions, such as lying, cheating, or stealing, to ensure luck stays on their side. Additionally, this type of behavior may force subordinates to make ethically questionable decisions when luck begins to run out. In this case study, the reader is introduced to an administrative assistant who works for a man named Ben Hill. Ben is described as creative and energetic, …show more content…
This type of lie seemingly has no negative effect on anyone, and is told for various reasons, in this case to give Ben time to give a satisfying answer to those who inquire about his work. While this serves Ben with a short term solution, the unintended consequences of his actions force others around him to act unethically as well, often escalating the initial transgression. Examining Ben’s action’s against what Immanuel Kant would consider a categorical imperative, may help to identify why his choice to use white lies proves unethical. Kant states that a person should act only according to a maxim that should become a universal law (as cited by Ciulla, 2003, p. 102). It is clear in this case that lying would not pass Kant’s test, but Ben’s motives are not to deceive, but in fact, an attempt to appease the person who is lied to. Ben uses lying as a means to fulfill his duty at work. Ben probably sees telling white lies as ethical, because he relieves his boss of unnecessary stress about projects he knows his team will eventually complete. Ben is trying to follow the maxim “never deliver bad news, even if it is the truth.” He is focused on the outcome, and not the act itself. The issue, however, is not the outcome. Kant believes the outcome is actually irrelevant, because all that matters is that the intent of the action is done from duty (as cited by Ciulla, 2003, p. 100). Confucius would agree with Kant, that …show more content…
Because of his success, he fails to realize the second and third order effects of his actions. Ben’s subordinates are regularly placed in ethical dilemmas. If an employee chooses to be truthful, it could ultimately hurt the organization. Ben is the leader, and by showing the employees he is willing to lie without much thought, it may make them question their own ability to tell the truth. Furthermore, Ben’s actions affect the culture of his subordinates, and how truthful they choose to be. As Confucius states, a leader’s character affects his subordinates’ character as the wind affects blades of grass (as cited by Ciulla, 2003, p. 135). This is illustrated in the case study as Ben’s secretary and his assistant lie to cover for