Professional Ethics of the Fundamental Level and “New Ethics” of the Technological Type: Reality and Proper Prospects

Abstract

One of the paradoxes of the present time is the catastrophic gap between the ex­traordinary complexity of the new problems and challenges that have befallen us all, on the one hand, and the conspicuous primitivism and outright professio­nalism of many of those who are one way or another obliged to react to what is happening. At the same time, the obvious inadequacy of such a situation at the professional level often simply not only does not receive proper critical as­sessment from society and the state, but is even accepted as acceptable. In this regard, in a certain sense, classical examples of critical speech and truly creative work can again become salutary: the moral and philosophical asceticism of So­crates, L.N. Tolstoy, A. Schweitzer, A.A. Zinoviev. The sociocultural task of en­suring a truly fundamental level of professional ethics is substantiated. We are talking about complex types of activities, in relation to which “new ethics” often only decorate the façade of all sorts of dubious technologies used momentarily, without proper examination of the possible consequences and the cultivation of morality (goodness). For most people, forced to play by new rules on the so­cio-economic field, digital disruption in a certain sense means a trap. The phe­nomenon of imitation of professionalism is analyzed when one is limited to ex­ternal effects, forgetting (or not wanting to know) about the socially assigned mission. The latter is called upon to be countered by moral philosophy as the ba­sis of ethical expertise. The article positions not only the methodological tools, but also the motivation of the experts themselves, including lawyers, who must have the appropriate ethical and philosophical education, to consistently carry out analytical and evaluative work from the standpoint of moving towards the ideal.