Cultivating Moral Character and Virtue in Professional Practice

Cultivating Moral Character and Virtue in Professional Practice　is a pioneering collection of essays focused on the place of character and virtue in professional practice. Professional practices usually have codes of conduct designed to ensure　good conduct;　but　while　such codes may be necessary and useful, they appear　far from sufficient,　since many　recent public scandals in professional life seem to have been attributable to failures of personal moral character. This book argues that there is a pressing need to devote more attention in professional education to the cultivation or development of such moral qualities as integrity, courage, self-control, service and selflessness.

Featuring contributions from distinguished leaders in the application of virtue ethics to professional practice,　such as　Sarah Banks, Ann Gallagher, Geoffrey Moore, Justin Oakley and Nancy Sherman, the volume looks beyond traditional professions to explore the ethical dimensions of a broad range of important professional practices. Inspired by a successful international and interdisciplinary conference on the topic, the book examines various ways of promoting moral character and virtue in professional life from the general ethical perspective of contemporary neo-Aristotelian virtue theory.

The professional concerns of this work are of global significance and the book　will be　valuable　reading　for all　working in　contemporary　professional　practices.　It　will　be of particular interest to academics, practitioners and postgraduate students in the fields of education, medicine, nursing, social work, business and commerce and military service.

David Carr is Emeritus Professor at the University of Edinburgh and lately Professor of Ethics and Education in the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues of the University of Birmingham (UK).