The rational approach will examine what is known of man's nature as a means of determining which professions are logically and statistically most likely to become corrupt. The empirical approach will examine available factual evidence in an attempt to confirm that determination. The Rational approach. Man's behavior is governed by heredity and environment. Heredity constitutes the genetic makeup each of us is born with and remains unchanged through life.
Environment is everything else.
No studies are available that provide information on the influence that heredity or environment may have had on particular individuals, by the time they arrive at the threshold of their professional lives. Thus the only reasonable assumption is that at that point in time, on average, there is no material difference in integrity between groups. The influence of a lawyer's professional environment begins when he enters law school and continues throughout his career. Therefore it is the causal effect of that environment which we must examine. It is said that while opportunity knocks only once, temptation keeps banging on the door for years.