Being a Professional - Handout

The Idea of Being a Professional

Dr. Joe Herkert of the Division of Multidisciplinary Studies at North Carolina
State University notes that when thinking about the interface of professional
responsibility and ethical action, it is useful to start with some basic definitions.

1. WHAT IS A PROFESSION?
A profession is a group having specialized training, knowledge and skills and a commitment to a social good.

2. WHAT IS PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY?
Professional responsibility is the responsibility to use the specialized knowledge and skills for the benefit of both individuals and society in general.

3. ARE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS PROFESSIONALS?
Research scientists do have specialized training, knowledge and skills and use these abilities to benefit both individuals and society.

4. WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL CODE?
A group agreement, the contract, the values of the group made tangible and
concrete, guidelines for how to use the specialized skills. It is discipline and context specific.

V. HOW DOES THIS DIFFER FROM A PERSONAL “ETHICAL CODE”?
An ethical code is about the values we live by in general and refers to our behavior in society; a general ethical code is not discipline or context specific. A professional code of ethics is discipline and context specific.

VI. ARE THERE SIMILARITIES OR SHARED VALUES BETWEEN ETHICAL CODES AND PROFESSIONAL CODES?
Yes, both types of codes have many shared values, some of which are honesty, fairness, doing no harm and the desire to improve the quality of life for as many people as possible.

VII. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE LIMITATIONS OF PROFESSIONAL CODES?
Professional codes can be difficult to enforce. In attempting to both set standards and allow for individual moral freedom a code can end up as only a minimal standard. There is also the problem of having a multiplicity of codes; for example, one specific to a discipline, another set forth by the university, a third set of rules from the funding agency and a fourth established by the government, leading to confusion. Whether a professional group follows a more consequentalist or nonconsequentalist scheme when formulating ethical codes of conduct, they are similar in that both are focusing on clarifying the special duties professions have, both to each other and to the public they serve. If we look at Michael Davis’ definition of a professional code we can see that
he is following the deontological, or non-consequentialist school of thought, where an action is good in and of itself. His articulation of “right conduct” is quite similar to what Tom Regan calls the “Universalization Test” that we have seen in Module 1.

“To be a code of professional ethics, a code
must be a morally permissible standard of
conduct each member of the profession wants
all others to follow even if their following it
would mean he must do the same.”
Michael Davis, ", "Thinking Like An Engineer:
The Place of a Code of Ethics in the Practice of a
Profession," as published on the website of the
Online Center for Ethics in Science and
Engineering.

“The Universalization Test
asks whether we would be
willing to have everyone act
in this manner.”
Tom Regan, “Research
Ethics, An Introduction,
Module 1, p. 22
Professional Responsibility and Codes of Conduct
By Joe Herkert

“A complete professional code enumerates both the obligations and the
privileges of the vocation or association they are attached to. The positive rights and duties of the professional group… are directly or indirectly related to the satisfaction of the needs which ought to be promoted by the members of the group. … Professionals of all descriptions have a firm obligation to satisfy the needs, to promote the interests and to respect the values of their clientele, as the fulfillment of this duty constitutes the basis of their privileged position in society.”
Heta and Matti Hayry, “, "The nature and role of professional codes in modern society," in Ethics and the Professions, Ruth F. Chadwick, Ed., (Avebury:Brookfield, 1994). p. 139. Book chapter available electronically.