ABSTRACT
Many texts on applied professional ethics place this material in their opening chapters. We place it toward the end of the book. Our reasoning is seen in the ordering of the six questions that frame our text: We believe that to “do ethics” well, we should start by using our own judgment about the moral dimensions of the problem at hand; we next make a pragmatic consideration about which rules, policies, and conventions may or may not apply; and then we clarify and prioritize our conflicting personal, professional, and community loyalties and our moral and non-moral values. Up to that point we should have been exercising our own judgment when weighing the variables, instead of relying upon an authoritative voice to do our judging for us. After that, it seems appropriate to check our own good insights against the judgments of our tribal elders.
