The Influence of Moral Reasoning and the Philosophical Foundations of Ethics to Whistle-Blowers

Abstract

This research examines how Moral Reasoning and Philosophical Foundations of Ethics affect an individual’s decision when faced with ethical dilemmas. It delves deeply into the situation of a person caught in the middle of staying loyal to the management versus standing up against it by choosing to do what is morally right. Being a whistle-blower affects not just the individual itself but also people surrounding the perimeter of the concerned organization. Anyone who faces an ethical dilemma is expected to undergo stages of Moral Reasoning which originated from Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of Moral Reasoning. Based on this theory, a person growing up undergoes not just different physical stages but different moral stages as well. These stages correlate whistle-blowers’ actions to the intention (moral reasoning) and philosophical foundations (such as Altruism, Psychological Egoism, and Altruistic Egoism.) of the individual. This study offers three primary contributions. First, it identifies how moral reasoning and traditional ethical theories weigh great implications for a person’s decision when disclosing irregularities. Second, the paper shows that whistleblowing has other faces not just purely out of goodness or altruism but there could be self-serving reasons which prompt a person to reveal the company or organization’s unethical activities. Third, this paper exhibits a whistle-blowing case which is analysed through the application of Lawrence Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Reasoning.