Professional Ethics Across the Disciplines
Edition: 3
Copyright: 2026
Choose Your Format
Ebook Package
$80.00 USD
Professional Ethics Across the Disciplines provides a comprehensive introduction to ethical theory and its application across a wide range of professional fields. The text examines major philosophical approaches to ethics, including relativism, utilitarianism, deontology, natural law, rights-based ethics, and virtue ethics, while exploring how these frameworks guide ethical decision-making in professional practice. Through real-world case studies, historical examples, and contemporary ethical dilemmas, readers are encouraged to critically evaluate competing moral perspectives and develop reasoned approaches to complex ethical issues.
Beyond introducing foundational ethical theories, the book emphasizes practical skills essential for ethical leadership and professional responsibility. Chapters on rhetoric, moral reasoning, power, and fiduciary responsibility help readers analyze arguments, identify logical fallacies and cognitive biases, understand the influence of communication on ethical decision-making, and recognize the obligations professionals owe to clients, organizations, and society. Designed for students across multiple disciplines, the text equips future professionals with the analytical tools and ethical principles needed to navigate the challenges of modern professional practice.
Chapter 1 Introduction to Professional Ethics
James C. Raines
I. Purpose
II. What is Ethics?
III. The Origin of Ethics
IV. Ethical Education
Case Study 1.1 Robert Fulghum
V. Professional Ethics
VI. Novice Professionals
VII. Ethical Values
VIII. Kinds of Ethics
Chapter 2 Individual Relativism
James C. Raines
I. Roots of Individual Relativism
II. Simplistic Subjectivism
III. Emotivism
Box 2.1 Professional Exemplar: Dr. Larry Nassar
IV. Expressivism
V. Moral Community
Box 2.2 Case Study: Tatiana Tarasoff
VI. Major Attractions
VII. Major Weaknesses
VIII. Chapter Summary
Chapter 3 Cultural Relativism
James C. Raines
I. Roots of Cultural Relativism
II. Descriptive Ethical Relativism
III. Normative Cultural Relativism
IV. Epistemological Cultural Relativism
V. Moral Community
Box 3.1 Enron Corporation
Box 3.2 Ally Financial
VI. Major Attractions
VII. Major Weaknesses
Case Study 3.1 Women Driving
VIII. Chapter Summary
Chapter 4 Religious Relativism
James C. Raines
I. Roots of Religious Relativism
Religious Source
Box 4.1 Kant vs. Kierkegaard
Philosophical Source
II. Moral Community
Box 4.2 Mother Teresa
III. Major Attractions
IV. Major Weaknesses
Religious Objections
Philosophical Objections
V. Interfaith Consensus
Box 4.3 Pharmacist’s Refusal
VI. Postscript
VII. Chapter Summary
Chapter 5 Ethical Egoism
James C. Raines
I. Roots of Ethical Egoism
II. Adam Smith
III. Friedrich Nietzsche
IV. Psychological Egoism
V. Selfishness as a Virtue
VI. Moral Community
Box 5.1 Donald Trump
VII. Influence on Society
VIII. Major Attractions
IX. Major Weaknesses
Box 5.2 Grafton, NH
X. Chapter Summary
Chapter 6 Utilitarianism
James C. Raines
I. Roots of Utilitarianism
Epicurus
David Hume
II. Classical Utilitarianism
Act Utilitarianism
Rule Utilitarianism
III. Moral Community
Box 6.1 Wilma Mankiller
IV. Attractions of Utilitarianism
V. Weaknesses
Box 6.2 Case Study: Psychologists Under Fire
VI. Chapter Summary
Chapter 7 Deontology (Duty-Based) Ethics
James C. Raines
I. Roots of Deontology
Cicero
Epictetus
II. Deontology
Absolutist Deontology
Pluralistic Deontology
III. Moral Community
Box 7.1 Dr. Hanna-Attisha
IV. Major Attractions
V. Major Weaknesses
Box 7.2 Monica Lewinsky & Cyberbullying
VI. Chapter Summary
Chapter 8 Natural Law Ethics
Mark Murphy
Chapter 9 Rights Ethics
Leif Wenar
Chapter 10 Virtue Ethics
Mark Curtis-Thames
I. Virtue Theories as Decision-Making Tools
II. Building a Virtue-Theory Tool for Ethical Evaluation
Chapter 11 Rhetorical Setting
Shaun Duke and Prabin Lamabut
I. Understanding Rhetorical Situations
Rhetorical Listening
Audience
Purpose
Context
Context Questions
Exercise 11A Identifying Audience, Purpose, and Context
II. Analyzing Rhetoric
Interpreting Audience
Identifying Purpose
Understanding Context
Exercise 11B Beginning Rhetorical Analyses
Chapter 12 Rhetorical Analysis
Shaun Duke and Prabin Lamabut
I. What is Rhetoric?
Classical Rhetoric
The Five Canons of Rhetoric
Modern Rhetoric
Our Definition
Exercise 12A Rhetoric in Your Everyday Life
II. What are Arguments?
Argumentative Components
Exercise 12B Argument, Fact, or Fight
III. Why Rhetoric and Arguments Matter Today
Chapter 13 Power & Ethics
Benfari et al., 1986
Chapter 14 Moral Reasoning
Shaun Duke and Prabin Lamabut
I. Common Fallacies
Ad hominem
Equivocation
Non Sequitur
Argument from Ignorance
Reductio ad Hitlerum
Argumentum ad Populum
False Dilemma
Slippery Slope
Special Pleading
Straw Man
Tu quoque
Hasty Generalization
Red Herring
Circular Reasoning
Exercise 14A Identifying Basic Fallacies
Exercise 14B Identifying Complex Fallacies
II. Reasoning and Cognitive Bias
Confirmation Bias
Exercise 14C Comparing Searches to Avoid Confirmation Bias
Echo Chambers
Exercise 14D Identifying Echo Chambers in Social Media
Loaded Language
Exercise 14E Identifying Loaded Language in Arguments
III. Bad Faith Behavior
Sealioning/Just Asking Questions
Chapter 15 Fiduciary Responsibility
James C. Raines
I. Types of Duties
Box 15.1 The Karen Beyer Story
II. Types of Fiduciary Relationships
III. Who is the Client?
IV. Stakeholders
V. Chapter Summary
Bibliography
Jim calls himself an accidental academic with the heart of a practitioner. He has over 20 years of experience working with K-12 students. He is the author of over fifty publications and five books published by Oxford University Press: Evidence-Based Practice in School Mental Health (2008); School Social Work (2010); and Ethical Decision Making in School Mental Health (2011, 2021) and Evidence-Based Practice in School Mental Health: Addressing DSM-5 disorders in schools (2019). He has been President of the Illinois Association of School Social Workers (2005-06), President of the Midwest Council for School Social Work (2009-2010), and the School Social Work Association of America (2017-2018).