The moral limits of professional ethics enculturationThe moral limits of professional ethics enculturationA. C. Nikolaidis

Professional and applied ethicists have evidenced the importance and efficacy of professional ethics education in universities, with some arguing that, in addition to advancing the development of professional ethics standards and individual moral responsibility, professional ethics education should itself be undertaken in an ethical fashion. This paper argues that theorizing ethics enculturation as a multidimensional and dialectical process allows educators and theorists to identify, examine, and redress morally objectionable forms of ethics education. To remain ethical, professional ethics enculturation must identify and avoid morally impermissible approaches that negatively impact those who undergo ethics enculturation and/or those whom the profession serves. Impermissible approaches include moral indoctrination, neglect, corruption, and injury, among others, and operate implicitly and explicitly in professional and educational contexts. Moreover, professional ethics enculturation must remain sufficiently bidirectional to ensure that both developing professionals become properly enculturated within the profession and that the profession is responsive to the needs and concerns of future generations of professionals.