Here, I think, a code of ethics is essential in setting and enforcing standards-even though codes are always vague and incomplete. Issues of conscience are also connected with the meaning and requirements of professional distance. I turn now to the more positive side of character, the aspiration to do more than meet the profession's minimum standard. We want practitioners who have been drawn into their profession by a deeply-felt commitment to its ideals. This commitment must cohere with codified duties, but it transcends the minimal competence required of members of the profession.
Professional ethics is more than shared duties and episodic dilemmas.
It includes the personal commitments that motivate, guide, and give meaning to the lives of professionals.