Discretion as Ethical Practice

Abstract

This chapter looks at the place of discretionary judgement in ethics, both in theoretical terms and at the level of practice in the social professions. Addressing ethics as one dimension of the space in which we act (e.g. in professional life), the chapter looks at the equivocal and under-theorized relationship between ethics and discretion, arguing that both its presence and its absence may seem prima facie problematic. It then considers two distinct conceptions of ethical standards and shows how each allows space for discretionary action. The following section explores the nature of that space-and the next, the nature of the work which goes on there. I suggest that Aristotle’s notion of phronesis is a particularly helpful resource for understanding and evaluating that work. The overall case is that the role of discretion is important to all sensible understandings of the role of ethical standards in professional practice.