The Abandonment of Business Codes of Ethics

Avoidance of well-established ethical business codes currently continues as a prime societal problem. Examples of proper business codes of ethics, ones that are consistent with our categorical imperative process, are reviewed, but these codes have a tendency to be ignored for reasons inherent to competitive firms. These inherent reasons are examined in the context of Arendt’s (1971, 2003a, 2003b) theory of why ethical codes are abandoned. Svendsen’s Philosophy of Evil (2001) is shown to provide insights relevant for preserving these codes. In addition, the evidence from recent experimental psychology is shown to reinforce these devolution theories posed by Arendt and Svendsen.