2007-10-12 18:10:06 · 16 answers · asked by gldnsilnc 6 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Always keeping your word...
And being sincere...
My father before he retired was an Attorney (not a trial lawyer) and he was the Chief Atttorney for the California Dept. of Veteran's Affairs...
He taught me (among lots of other wise things) that a Man should always be "A Man of His Word," because if you're not honest and have a private & public "real" sense of personal integrity from your own viewpoint and the viewpoint of others...
You've got nothing...
Good question...(And he taught me well....for I DO have those things...if I didn't learn it...he woulda' whooped my oz...just kidding...he never had to...but his righteous stare was ominous to behold...good guy...but at 6'2" and 210 lbs...you didn't dare disrespect dear 'ole Dad...)
(Not taking away from loving dear 'ole Mom...she taught me gentility, compassion, and the other things Dad taught, too...but for the purposes of this question, I'd thought I'd blow my Dad's horn a bit.
2007-10-12 19:13:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Integrity refers to being integrated -- particularly, the integration of values & beliefs with ethics & morals, and also of ethics with personal behavior.
The former is extremely hard to pull off, because ethics/morals are rigid rules that don't strictly correlate with values a lot of the time... the best way to have that kind of integrity is to allow morality to be relative. The latter is what people usually mean when they say integrity -- some obvious examples of lack of integrity are male politicians who condemn homosexuality publicly but then get caught picking up men in public restrooms, or women who rage about the evil of abortion but head for the clinic when they have an unwanted pregnancy themselves, or married people who would divorce if their spouse so much as flirted but who cheat on the marriage themselves.
2007-10-13 03:49:42 · answer #2 · answered by zilmag 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A person with integrity would obey certain principles. Those principles may be different than mine. That said, the person with integrity would obey them under all circumstances. A person without integrity may not obey "his" principles if convenient. Integrity has an advantage, and is that those principles were accepted because of experience, making him better to deal with. A person without integrity would not be as reliable.
2007-10-13 03:26:25 · answer #3 · answered by epistemology 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I did not know that this was subjective. I have always used this noun as it is defined in Websters:
1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.
3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.
2007-10-13 01:22:35 · answer #4 · answered by viento 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I define integrity as being true to your principles. To me this person is predictable and uses principles while avoiding hypocrisy.
This definition is looser than most because a person who acts badly could have integrity.
2007-10-13 01:36:04 · answer #5 · answered by Ron H 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is .looking
2007-10-13 01:54:50 · answer #6 · answered by iluvmypup 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Stability, consistency, honesty, uprightness, emotional integrity, spiritual integrity etc shall make integrity as such an authentic one.
2007-10-13 01:55:24 · answer #7 · answered by Dr. Girishkumar TS 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Several years ago I heard Congressman J C Watt of Oklahoma define it as "doing the right thing even when no one is watching" and I kind of like that definition.
2007-10-13 01:27:05 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Integrity is allowing that part of your conscience which tells you the right way to do things, to determine your actions.
2007-10-13 02:16:06 · answer #9 · answered by Tuna-San 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Having the moral courage to make your actions consitent with your knowledge of right and right.
"Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me" (Job 27:5)
2007-10-13 01:39:47 · answer #10 · answered by Vi 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋