Ethics, Applied Ethics and

Professional Ethics

Prof. Kumar Neeraj Sachdev

Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences
 Introductory Issues
• Ethics, Applied Ethics and Professional Ethics
• Concept of a Profession
• Ethics and Professions

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 Ethics

•Ethics is a study of values to

live a good human life.

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 Two Questions of Ethics
• How should I live (a good human life)?
Character (Virtues)

• What should I do (in a particular moral

situation)?
Fundamental Moral Principles and Moral
Rules of Conduct

• Good Life and / or Right Conduct

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 Frameworks of Ethics
• The academic discipline of Ethics is constitutive of
the rational inquiry of moral values in various
frameworks of ethics.
• A framework of ethics is a mechanism for assessing
whether a particular action, rule or policy is ethically
justified.
• The characteristics of an acceptable framework of
ethics (or an ethical theory) are: prescriptive,
universal (or impartial) and practical.

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 Frameworks of Ethics (Contd.)
▪ Indian Ethical Theory, Virtue Theory, Utilitarian Theory,
and Deontological Theory are select examples of
frameworks of ethics. These theories refer to an account
of…
– righteousness in the Indian tradition to live a good human
life;
– virtues of living a good human life;
– The fundamental moral principle of maximization of overall
happiness;
– The fundamental moral principle of universal acceptance of
one’s principles of action and respect for humanity
whether in one’s own person or the person of any other.

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 Applied Ethics

• Applied Ethics represents applications of ethical theory to

some issue or area of practical concern, for example,
discrimination in a workplace. It may be called as the practical
counterpart of the abstract theories of ethics.
• An issue or area of practical concern considers the relevance
and application of values, virtues, and principles for moral
correctness in specific social or professional behaviour.
• Examples of applied ethics pertaining to issues or areas of
practical concern are medical ethics, environmental ethics,
legal ethics, professional ethics, business ethics, engineering
ethics, management ethics, computer ethics, internet ethics,
etc.

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 Professional Ethics
• Professional ethics is a study of the conduct of
professionals in a workplace, for example,
moral protest against corruption or
mismanagement [that is discussed in a listed
topic of whistle blowing].
• A profession is a regulated practical
application of specialized knowledge and skill
in a formal setup for the benefit of mankind
and on a broad scale the planet earth.
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 Distinctiveness of Profession
• Every profession is an occupation, but every occupation is not
a profession. For example, bricklayers, barbers, and
shopkeepers are not professionals.
• Doctors, teachers, engineers, lawyers, accountants, nurses
and architects are professionals because they provide expert
advice or service rather than things vital to a society's
organised functioning.
• We shall discuss the features and values of a profession in the
next Lecture on the Concept of a Profession that will help us
to understand and propose solutions to some ethical
problems in the practice of professions.

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 “Ethics is not easy, and it makes sense to think
that discovering ethical truth as it relates to
professional practice will take some effort.”

Rowan, John, and Zinaich, Jr.,

Ethics for the Professions, Wadsworth, 2003

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 Case Study

Jim sells stereo equipment, and he is good at it. He prides himself in his
technical knowledge of stereos and also in his good reputation. Selling the
right equipment to meet the needs of his customers is important to him.
Sometimes, Jim feels guilty when he sells a product he knows has certain
flaws or problems or is just inferior. Nevertheless, he bites his lip and lets
the customer decide, refraining from sharing his knowledge about the
problems. He is required by his supervisor to do this. Initially, he brought
this point up at a sales meeting. His supervisor responded by pointing out
that it is permissible to withhold this kind of information because anyone
can find out which product has problems by reading Consumer Reports.
Jim understands this point, but it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

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 Thank you.

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