The idea of a ‘decent profession’: implications for professional education

ABSTRACT

Recent years have witnessed a surge of studies examining the scope of professional responsibility. Building on these efforts, this conceptual inquiry explores whether Nussbaum's notion of a ‘decent society’, grounded in the premises of equal respect for persons and different conceptions of the good, and thus aspiring to afford all its members a threshold of capabilities that allow for a good life, could usefully inform the idea of a ‘decent profession’ and professionals’ role in contributing to social justice. The first aim is to develop a theory-based rationale for the claim that a ‘decent profession’ strives for capability expansion, thereby identifying capability expansion as a professional ideal. The second aim is to outline how this ideal may be promoted in professional degree programmes drawing on Nussbaum's twofold argument that our rational ideals require appropriate emotions to be sustained and that these ‘stabilising emotions’ can be cultivated through art and symbols.

KEYWORDS:

• Professional responsibility
• theory of practice
• capabilities
• professional education
• political emotions
• art

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.