ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to set forth the structural framework of social influences under which today's professional planner functions in developing ethical decisions and ethical justifications of performance. A "matrix of ethical influences" in professional practice is constructed by reference to traditional views of ethics. The underlying dynamics of this matrix are then analyzed, and this sets the stage for a concluding discussion that equates professional practice with a search for actions that are truly "valuable". Ethical judgments also implicate the person(s) engaged in ways not encountered when solving a scientific problem. Grasping the structure of ethical influences on practice begins with examining the range of implications of what one means by the concepts of responsibility and obligation. The concept of responsibility has been examined in the light of three particular questions: Whom are we responsible to?, What does our responsibility oblige us to do?, And how do circumstances influence our responsibility?.
