Talking Virtue: professionalism and virtue ethics

The twentieth century phenomenon of professionalism had a major impact on the economy of nation states and has been recognised as a key element of post-industrial societies. As an anointed class, professionals reserved the right to prescribe their own roles and responsibilities. Critics of professional interests, however, have described professionals’ own definition of their roles and responsibilities as narrow and prudential rather than based on a broadly conceived notion of public interest or public good. The need for new perspectives on professionals’ roles and responsibilities as the twenty-first century begins is apparent. Firstly, arguments in recent years against the special position of the professions provide a pragmatic reason to re-examine old assumptions. Secondly, the still considerable power and privilege of professionals provide a good reason to examine further the ways in which professionals might respond ethically to the diverse contexts in which they operate today. Thirdly, a trend towards the commodification of expert knowledge raises questions about access to professional knowledge and perhaps about the future of professionalism. This paper will consider the arguments for whether professional conduct should be evaluated by reference to generally accepted norms or qualities or whether specific role-based criteria should be used to judge professional conduct. The usefulness of “talking virtue” with its emphasis on qualities of character as opposed to “talking rules” in professional contexts will be examined. It will be suggested that virtue ethics with its acknowledgement of the importance of context and purpose, has much to contribute to the ongoing conversation about how the professions can respond appropriately to current pressures for ethical renewal in the public interest.