The Cancer of Corruption: A Philosophical and Ethical Perspective

This chapter will address the philosophical and ethical perspective that corruption, in its many forms, is embedded in most societies’ fabrics as well as justified and rationalised. The chapter will examine corruption and its negative influence on societies by allowing for ethical pluralisms, i.e. Aristoteles and Confucian thought. We will attempt to discuss this from a global ethics overview that tries to avoid imposing a Greek and western lens and that should conjoin shared norms while simultaneously preserving the irreducible differences between cultures and peoples. We have three main objectives for this chapter. Firstly, we will explore the argument that in any culture, corruption in its many forms, may it be guanxi, bribes, political favours, bribes, are covered by the traditional understanding of some types of ethical/philosophical judgement. Secondly, we critically analyse how corruption may have positive effects under some circumstances. Thirdly, we attempt to help the reader better comprehend the diversity in legislation and approaches by governments and the inherent conflicts for both multinationals and companies that are internationalising. Thus, we discuss the impact of globalisation on corporate governance and the current anti-corruption measures many nations are trying to both implement and superimpose globally through their home-based multinationals.