The Professional and Liberal Arts - Essay Example

?The Professional and Liberal Arts There are those who would argue that liberal arts and what happens in a professional or public career do not or should not mix. In the professional world, Machiavellian ethics are viewed as more commonplace than the ethics of, say, Cicero. The moral rules that Cicero has outlined seem to be bent and broken every day in the business world. But is the bending of moral ethics necessary in order to gain wealth and power? Machiavelli certainly believed so. Yet often people who are moral and honest, or at least appear to be so, gain fame, wealth, and power. Perhaps in more authoritarian societies using cunning and deceit are necessary to rise out of poverty, but one would hope that in a free society that although using the end to justify immoral means may give a person wealth, it will damage their souls and lead to negative consequences in the end. In this sense, the liberal arts are important because they serve as a guide for moral and ethical behavior and show that one’s duty to the state and their fellow man is rewarding in many ways, even economically. This essay will focus on the importance of the liberal arts in modern as well as ancient times through the writings of Kimball, Shorris, Sullivan, Cicero, and Machiavelli. Additionally, the essay will focus on the problems that arise when what is viewed as modern realism is pitted against traditional moral idealism. The liberal arts can certainly have a positive effect on professional life. The liberal arts teach of things like ethics and integrity. Shorris believes that humanities does function on its own, but does not have its full effect unless it is integrated into professional life (2000). The ancient Greeks also believed it was essential to the welfare of the state that humanities and public life function together. Morals are generally inherent in any professional career. Being a professional carries with it a responsibility to clients, communities, and society in general. This social contract is the basis of professionalism. Therefore it is important that professionals exercise moral judgment in their professional careers. Because a professional is confronted with moral dilemmas, a liberal education is something that is very useful to society in general. A liberal education teaches us about morals and can be seen as something that makes a person’s professional career more rewarding when it is fully guided by ethical principles. Many people feel that a job is just a job and is a means to an end, but the study of liberal arts tell us that a person and their job can’t be completely separated. In other words, a person influences the job and the job influences the person. Because of this, it is important to realize that a job, or making money, can often impose moral decisions upon the professional. Also, a person who is very immoral and unethical can use their job as a means to lie, cheat, and steal from others. Sullivan believes that, at its best, a profession can provide an important benefit to the individual as well as to society as a whole. However, at its worst, a profession can strip a person of their ethics and their humanity (2004). Using this definition he illustrates that professionalism is headed down a dangerous road as more and more people feel that economic ambition is the only thing that matters and things like loyalty and social responsibility are being thrown by the wayside. Sullivan also believes that society is in danger of simply training people instead of educating them and explains that this could lead to people only using one small part of their brain. Often certain professionals are only focused on the technical aspect of their career and do not regard anything else as important. This type of person may be doing their job but they are not engaged in examining their lives and therefore it is difficult for them to achieve a truly fulfilled working life. The study of liberal arts is something that is capable of making a person’s everyday life better because it can take a person out of their narrow focus and allow them to examine and, as a result of examination, improve their overall lives. In contrast to the other authors discussed, Machiavelli does not place much of an emphasis on liberal arts or ethical behavior. He believes more in realism as opposed to the idealism of, say, Cicero. Machiavelli feels that it is necessary to use deceit, cunning, and other seemingly unethical methods in order to gain and maintain power. His views have more to do with how one is perceived as opposed to how things really are. As a result, morality and immorality is not as black and white as a traditional idealist would see it. In a society where there is a lot of crime and strife, Machiavelli’s views could be seen as somewhat ethical and very practical. If a large majority of the people are immoral, it would seem that the moral minority would be constantly taken advantage of. Therefore, people may justify that in order to merely survive; a person must be willing to take advantage of those that would constantly take advantage of them. The idea of doing what is “necessary” to survive and compete with others could be viewed as a more realistic approach to life. People may say that liberal arts and philosophy are great, but have nothing to do with the real world. Therefore, they could justify bending certain ethical principles for personal gain. As mentioned, morality is bended all the time in real life. Much of this bending is a result of a desire for money, influence, power, and fame. A professional usually won’t tell a big lie but will often tell what are known as little “white lies.” These lies are prevalent in business and society in general. Using Machiavelli’s “The Prince” as a guide, one could easily justify telling a “white lie” as long as it doesn’t significantly harm anyone. For Machiavelli, power is more important than virtue for virtue’s sake. He believes that it is important to appear virtuous but actually being virtuous can cause people to take advantage of you and you will eventually lose your wealth and power (1532). Along the same lines of what something is as opposed to what something appears to be is Isocrates’ view that using polished speaking to impress and influence others is more important than seeking philosophical truth. This contrasts with Plato’s view that seeking truth is more important than anything else. The ability to speak well and influence people is important in liberal arts but is even more important in a professional setting. This is because, unfortunately, we live in a society that is quick to judge people based on how they look and speak. Although Plato and Isocrates’ views on the importance of truth are in opposition, both of them deal with higher education and are not in complete conflict with each other. Although there is a continual debate in liberal arts between Isocrates’ rhetorical tradition and Plato’s philosophical tradition, certain experts would argue that the debate is necessary and adds to the culture of higher education (Kimball, 1986). The debate does have wider implications. Currently, it can be observed that many people do not trust their government officials because they feel they are purely rhetoricians and hardly ever speak the truth. This is something that Plato warns us about and it is why he believed that those who are in positions of power should be focused on seeking and professing the truth and not just speaking cleverly to gain power and money. If more professionals, especially government officials, were to focus on truth seeking instead of polished speaking, the country would be in much better shape. And while speaking well is important, it certainly shouldn’t be as important as possessing solid morals and ethics and constantly seeking the truth. Cicero would agree that being honest and moral are the most important things for an individual and for society as a whole. He also believed in the importance of self-interest as long as a person’s self-interest doesn’t hurt other people. He uses an analogy of a race and says that a person should definitely try their hardest to win, but if that person tries to cheat by tripping another runner, for example, that type of person is not moral and therefore makes society weaker as a whole (44 B.C.). In his work, “On Duties,” Cicero outlines how to what between what is right and what is expedient. He believed that, for the truly wise, such a conflict between expediency and morality does not exist, although the average person may be torn between two choices. In the business world, Cicero is implicating those who obtain money and power dishonestly. He uses an example of a seller of a house who doesn’t disclose information to buyers regarding problem the house has with infestation as well as foundational issues. While some would say disclosing this information is unnecessary and might use the popular term “buyer beware,” Cicero sees not disclosing such information in a sale as being dishonest and immoral. He also sees the transaction as benefiting neither the borrower nor the seller because, although the seller is making a profit, he is sacrificing his virtue and his soul for money (44 B.C.). Often a person can justify taking advantage of another person for gain. Greed can lead people to forget ethics in the chase for money, fame, and power. Much of the financial problems the country has experienced in the last few years has to do with corporate as well as government greed. From what we have witnessed of greed, it is no wonder that Cicero believed that immorality and unethical practices hurt society economically in addition to hurting society morally. Returning to Machiavelli, it is interesting that he also views the welfare of society, or the state, as the most important thing. He believes in things like generosity, compassion, and piety are things that people generally praise, but he doesn’t see these things as ends in themselves - only means to maintain power. In other words, he believed these things were only good because they can win you favor, therefore you don’t even have to have these traits but only appear to have them. It is very true that our modern society is all about perception and Machiavelli understood that perception and reality often don’t match up. It seems, though, that if people, especially professionals, would more closely follow the traditional ideals of many philosophers that reality and perception would be more compatible with each other and society would be better as a whole. As Sullivan points out, a professional career is something that is sought after by many people because of the prestige that comes along with being called an expert in one’s field. He also believes professionals have an ethical duty to society because of their highly recognized states. He states that, “Within this civic understanding of the professional vocation, each specific professional responsibility gets its point and value from the contribution it makes through shared commitment to the good society and the good life” (2004). In this view, a professional career is one that can be very fulfilling and a great benefit to society. But with responsibility comes the need for virtue and the practice of ethics. Also, integrity is important in all fields, whether one is a professional or a non-professional. In a society that is more inclined to modern realism, we can see how professionals are still held to a high standard of integrity by the rest of society. This speaks to the reality that people want leaders or experts who are both good at their jobs and who are also virtuous and moral. Therefore, the integration of liberal arts and a professional career is very important to society. It is quite obvious from a reading of these authors that liberal arts and the professional realm are not, nor should they be, mutually exclusive. References Cicero, M.T. (44 B.C). On Duties. Kimball, B.A. (1986). Orators and Philosophers: A History of the Idea of Liberal Education. New York: College Board. Machiavelli, N. (1532). The Prince. Shorris, E. (2000). Riches for the Poor. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Sullivan, W. (2004). Work and Integrity. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Read More