Consolations of philosophy.

Listening to the recent CIMA webcast on ethics, I recalled a job interview I had in the seventies. As an aspiring accountant with a degree in the unfashionable subject of philosophy, I was not high on the wish-list of the City firm that offered the interview, but an agency got me through the door.

As is often the case with recent graduates, the ice-breaker gambit was my studies: Interviewer: "I see that you studied philosophy. What exactly did you cover?" Me: "A whole range of subjects, including epistemology, logic, aesthetics and ethics." (Most interviewers at this point would say something along the lines of "what's epistemology?" but not on this occasion.) Interviewer: "Sorry, we've just closed our ethics department."

After nearly three decades of witnessing the brutality of commercial finance, I am heartened to hear the doors creaking open as the ethics department reopens. The problem now is the scarcity of proficient candidates to fill these demanding roles and to meet the challenges that ethical issues present.

William Wyllie ACMA