Strong Moral Issue

¶ … Insider: Morality and ethics The film The Insider tells the tale of Jeffrey Wigand, a former employee of a tobacco company, who agreed to be interviewed by the television news show 60 Minutes, during which Wigand revealed on-camera the lies and deception used by Big Tobacco to 'hook' the American public on cigarettes.

Although the deadly properties of cigarettes had long been known, Wigand openly talked about the specific techniques used by tobacco companies to make cigarettes even more physically addictive than they already were, including adding known carcinogens to the mixture. The title of the film is apt given that as 'an insider' Wigand was aware of things only an employee of a tobacco company could know. However, his willingness to be forthcoming also raised serious ethical considerations.

From the point-of-view of some business theorists, as an employee, Wigand should have honored the confidentiality agreements that were part of the provisions of his employment. He was effectively 'biting the hand that fed him' for many years, financially speaking, for his employer. Also, it is arguable that a firm's greatest obligation is not to behave morally, but to make a profit, which was what the tobacco companies were trying to do.

What would happen if all employees decided to reveal business secrets, simply because they had moral qualms? This could hurt the American economy. However, from a deontological ethicist's point-of-view, the concept of deception is simply wrong, and rather than marketing their product in an ethical manner, the tobacco companies were using methods hidden to the average consumer in a deceitful and dangerous manner. In doing so, they put human lives at risk.

Thus, the ethics of employment and business practice must be subsumed to the higher rules of preserving life, principles which supersede those of profit-making, employee loyalty, or even the legalities of confidentiality agreements. According to Kant's categorical imperative, "act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law" (Johnson 5). In short, the moral actor must act as if setting the law 'for all time' regarding his decision-making.

In The Insider, the higher, eternal moral law is prioritizing the public's right to know and the importance of preserving lives. Wigand's actions encouraged people not to trust tobacco companies and to stop or to not begin smoking. This was more important than a tobacco company's rights to make a profit. Kant would state that.