Professional Ethics and Civic Virtues

Professional ethics and civic virtues stand in some contrast with what might be referred to as common morality. Common morality is the core set of moral principles, rights, and values that is believed in and adhered to by reflective human beings and communities. Accordingly, it is not identical with the actual moral principles and values in any given community. The latter can vary considerably from one community and one historical time period to another. Here, the notion of a core set is important; often, different communities share a core set of moral principles while differing markedly on peripheral ones. The other differentiating notion is that of a reflective community. A reflective community in this context is one that subjects its moral principles and values to ...