Question

Suppose Sally is an accountant at a large accountancy firm. Imagine that one day she finds out that there’s a glitch in one of the payroll systems that has resulted in there being a few hundred dollars every month left over in an account that no one but Sally can access. She’s pretty sure no one would catch her if she took the money each month. And it would really helpful too; it wouldn’t just be for her own spending—it would help her pay for her daughter’s tuition who’s away at school. Sally’s not sure if any other accountants have noticed the glitch, but she hasn’t told anyone yet as she’s deciding what to do.

In your response, evaluate this situation according to Kant’s formulation of the Moral Law. Explain what conclusion results from that and what, according to Kant, Sally should do in this scenario. Then, say what you think is the right thing for Sally to do. (That is, either agree or disagree with what Kant would say.)

Answer 1

Deontological Ethics proposed by Immanuel Kant which is otherwise known as duty ethics suggests that one should do one’s duty without worrying about the consequences. So, Sally should make the immediate manager or supervisor known about the money that’s left in the account which Sally could access. This means Sally shouldn’t use that money for her own purpose because if she does it then she is not doing her duty. Despite the fact that no one knows about this account, Sally, in order to fulfill her duty, need to stop using this.

Thank you for your question. Please rate if you like the answer.