Trust, responsibility and being professional

Abstract

Trust is the glue that holds a society together. It is more basic than an ethical principle or a value. Without trust we would not have an economy, we would not have a society that functions. For there to be trust, we need people or organisations that are trustworthy. When we become professionals we are subject to stronger obligations to be trustworthy than ordinary members of the public. The public has to trust that the bridges we build, the offices we design and the products we make will work the way we say they will. But the professions can have a narrow view of morality based on the roles they play: this means that a person in their professional role can justify on moral grounds actions that they would not engage in as parents, as sons or daughters or as ordinary members of their communities. This talk discusses the nature of trust and related concepts such as responsibility, virtue, integrity and the dangers professionals face in adopting an ethical position as professionals that they would not adopt in their private lives.