The moral condemnation of corruption

Abstract

The definition of corruption, as well as the set of problems that corruption raises, are fundamentally changing due to the different angle from which we perceive it. Usually we cite sociological, legal, economic, political, psychological, ethical as the most common dimensions of this general social problem. This phenomenon is represented by the elementary definition of corruption as an abuse of public office for personal interest. At the heart of this phenomenon is a conflict between the general interest and the self-interest, in circumstances where the priority of self-interest is illegitimate. In this paper, we have provided the background of the most significant causes and consequences of corruption, emphasizing the possible problems with legal mechanisms. Corruption is a criminal offense and thus subject to legal regulation. This regulation is not sufficient to eradicate corruption. Corruption today is devastating and threatens the functioning of the society as a regulated system. We provided an analysis of this process and pointed out its ethical dimensions. The aim of the paper is to highlight the importance of the anti-corruption standpoint as an absolute duty. If every individual adopted Do Not Bribe!, on a personal level, as a perfect duty, corruption would stand no chance. Therefore, we should decentralize attention from the legal and other dimensions to the ethical dimension of the problem of corruption. We have shown in the paper that a clear decision not to participate in corruption due to its moral wrong is a necessary condition if it aims at weakening entrenched bribery practices. That decision is the matter of moral integrity. The conclusion is that any social anti-corruption strategy must start from the analysis of corruption as an action which is subject to ethical analysis.