Abstract
“Applied ethics” is sometimes understood on the engineering model: As engineers “apply” physics to human problems, so philosophers apply ethics to dilemmas of professional practice. It is argued that there is nothing in ethics comparable to physics. Using legal ethics as an example, it is suggested that political philosophy provides a better approach to understanding professional ethics. If, for example, the adversary system is a legitimate social institution, and if attorneys must adhere to certain principles in order for that institution to fulfill its purposes, then attorneys may be said to be subject to those ethical principles.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Kenneth Kipnis is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is the author of Legal Ethics (Prentice-Hall, 1986), editor of several volumes on legal, social and political philosophy, and co-author of the Code of Ethical Conduct of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kipnis, K. Ethics and the professional responsibility of lawyers. J Bus Ethics 10, 569–576 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382874
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382874