Professional Ethics: A Trust-based Approach

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It is widely recognized that professionals such as doctors, nurses, engineers, and teachers have duties that go far beyond those of ordinary citizens, but there is much disagreement as to why they have such duties. In Professional Ethics: A Trust-Based Approach, Terrence Kelly argues that such duties come from the unique trust that professionals must invite, develop, and honor from those they serve. Without trust, professional practice would be significantly impoverished—both ethically and instrumentally— and the autonomy enjoyed by many professions would evaporate. Professionals therefore have good reasons to be “effectively trustworthy”— that is, to develop the virtues necessary to be responsive to the vulnerability of those they serve; and effectively communicate that responsiveness to others. Being effectively trustworthy requires a commitment by professionals as individual practitioners and as members of ethical communities committed to building a culture of trust. Such communities can, and should, design virtue-based professional education that promotes trustworthy character formation, and articulate an ethical vision of the trustworthy professional that has real credibility in the practical conditions of profession. Because of the importance of trust, professional communities also have good reasons to develop conduct standards, such as those regarding conflict of interest, that promote professional trustworthiness in both fact and appearance.

E-Book Content

Professional Ethics Professional Ethics A Trust-Based Approach Terrence M. Kelly LEXINGTON BOOKS Lanham • Boulder • New York • London Published by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowman.com Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB Copyright © 2018 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Kelly, Terrence M., author. Title: Professional ethics : a trust-based approach / Terrence M. Kelly. Description: Lanham : Lexington Books, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. LCCN 2017061423 (print) | LCCN 2017059287 (ebook) | ISBN 9781498513630 (Electronic) | ISBN 9781498513623 (cloth : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Professional ethics. Classification: : LCC BJ1725 (print) | LCC BJ1725 .K45 2018 (ebook) | DDC 174--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017061423 TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Printed in the United States of America For Elias and all other future trustworthy professionals. May they make the world a better place. Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction xi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A Puzzle About Professional Ethics Vulnerability and Trust in the Professions The Trustworthy Professional The Profession as an Ethical Community Effective Trustworthiness in the Professions Conflicts of Interest The Limits to Professional Trustworthiness 1 21 41 63 83 101 125 Conclusion 143 Bibliography 149 Index 155 About the Author 159 vii Acknowledgments Successful professional practice is made possible by the existence of supportive communities
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