ABSTRACT
In parts I and II of this book, I have advocated an epistemology of practice based on the idea of reflection-in-action. I shall now explore several of its implications-for the professional’s role in society, his autonomy and authority in relation to his clients, the kinds of research likely to be useful to him, the institutional contexts conducive to reflective practice, and the visions of so cial progress and well-being which may be used to justify pro fessional activity. In considering these questions, I shall con trast reflective practice with the model of technical rationality and with a more recent tradition of radical criticism of the pro-
fessions. The concept of professional as technical expert is closely bound to the utopian imagery of the Technological Pro gram, and the radical demystification of the professions is also linked to a utopian vision, one of liberation from the domina tion of established interests and professional elite. Although the social implications of the idea of reflective practice do not lie midway between these utopian extremes, they may be illu minated by the threefold comparison.
