Professional ethics: The axis that sustains public trust and transforms public accounting

Abstract

This article analyzes professional ethics as the pillar sustaining public trust and transforms accounting into a profession with social, human, and regulatory meaning. Based on a qualitative-hermeneutic approach and a narrative review of philosophical, regulatory, and professional references, this article examines the relationship among character, public trust, independence, professional skepticism, and social responsibility of public accountants. The text connects contributions of Aristotle, Seneca, Kant, Adela Cortina, Martha Nussbaum, and Ortega y Gasset with the Colombian regulatory framework applicable to the accounting profession, particularly Law 43 of 1990, Law 1314 of 2009, International Standards on Auditing, and International Standard on Quality Management 1. It also incorporates business and disciplinary cases that help explain how the loss of character, institutional pressure, omission of professional judgment, and normalization of error affect public trust. 

The article concludes that accounting technique, although necessary, is insufficient when it is not supported by ethical principles, habits of character, independence, prudence, and responsibility toward the public interest. Therefore, professional ethics not only guides the individual behavior of accountants, but also transforms accounting into a practice of trust, transparency, and social commitment.