Can an Evil man have Integrity?

[CK23]

I was speaking with my English teacher and we got on the subject of Fairness and Integrity, We somehow got on the subject by simply mentioning the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

She posed me this question, and I've been thinking about it, I wanna see what you think:

Can and Evil man have Integrity?

[Morlam]

I suppose you have to believe in 'evil', to understand and answer the question. Evil in my opinion is a religiously laden term, so you seek explanation and reasons for someones actions outside of him/her.

[The Dude]

According to the Dungeons and Dragons moral alignment system, yes. Lawful evil, where you stick to a strict code that while performing malicious acts. A mafia boss is lawful evil.

[MET]

if a "good" man can have integrity, an "evil" man can as well. Why not?

[handsome pete]

haven't you seen silence of the lambs.

but of coarse in order to be evil must the individual be knowingly so? this is the key question it's answer may completely invert who is and who is not evil.

[Morkonan]

...Can and Evil man have Integrity?

Well, that depends. Sorry to have to contribute to an "F" on your homework assignment, but...

First, what is "integrity?"

I like this definition from wiki better than webster's but, both are similar:

"Integrity comprises perceived consistency of actions, values, methods, measures and principles. A value system's abstraction depth and range of applicable interaction are also significant factors due to their congruence with empirical observation. A value system may evolve over time while retaining integrity if those who espouse the values account for and resolve inconsistencies..."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrity

So, can an Evil man have integrity according to this definition? Certainly, he can. However...

What is Evil? That is, presumably, "UnGood." IOW, it's everything opposite that Good is. Every single society has its own definitions of Good and Evil. These are "social mores." (pronounced "morays") and every human society has them. They differ, however, between societies.

IMO, a truly EVIL man would not have integrity simply because consistantly following a code of ethics, even if it is "Evil" is not something that a truly "Evil" person would be capable of in my consideration of the word "Evil." Unless, of course, that code is only to do whatever it is they want to do. In that case, and that specific case alone, that is the only instance where a truly Evil person could also be said to have "Integrity."

As far as defining "Integrity" as something honorable, just or "Good" a truly Evil person could not have any. It would be antithetical to what we consider "Evil" to be. Acting in such a manner would not be Evil thus, they wouldn't be truly, purely, Evil.

[Beanbee]

Quick answer, yes but only inside of his own little section of society. Morality and Ethics are not set in stone, they are decided by groups of people and change slowly over time.

[Trey]

Yes it is possible. But considering honesty and integrity are among the most important factors when determining moral purity, it would be pretty difficult.