Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an intellectual framework for addressing ethical issues if human well-being is accepted as the prime justificatory value for human conduct. It examines the place of work in human society, and then more particularly the scope and nature of professional work in Anglo-American societies as this has been understood by serious writers on the subject. Professional conduct is ethically assessed in relation to individual agenda-setting; then in relation to agenda-setting by collectivities -governments, families, commercial organizations, and non-profit organizations. Professional ethics has become the focus of a great deal of writing within individual occupations and, to some extent, more generally. Moral or ethical reasoning provides grounding argument for appropriate action. The specialized nature and power of professional occupations make this task both more difficult and more pressing.