The orientation in philosophy to ethical questions has traditionally been to those that arise between individuals. This project seeks to shift away from the individualistic model of the isolated professional struggling to decide what is right. The emphasis in it is to consider questions about the ethical responsibilities of professionals in groups and organizations. To be undertaken by a philosopher who has already done extensive work in the theory of collective resp9onsibility and in professional ethics, the project seeks to provide a group oriented picture of professional ethics. It recognizes that professionals work increasingly for large corporations or institutions, and that they are members of communities that have created expectations on the part of the public. Generally, professionals are not isolated practitioners nor their own bosses; they must contend with various groups that have a significant impact on their professional lives. Issues of collective and shared responsibility need to be integrated more fully into the educational and theoretical discussions of professional ethics. This project will explore the theoretical and practical significance of reorienting the discussion of ethics in the professions to include attention to its institutional context. It will produce a book focused on the professions of engineering and law, with significant application to the various sciences. This project will interest scholars as well as profesionals from a wide spectrum of the population, most importantly those who are currently writing or revising codes of professional conduct.
