What constitutes professionalism?

[Walter]

Walter, I must confess that I happen to believe it is a very good thing for "professions" to be elite (back to that "trained professional" who is going to work on my car). I actually WANT my physician, lawyer, engineer, etc. to be elite and trained and examined to some standard, don't you?

Peter, you are descibing two different things while appearing to descibe one. If the entire profession is elite why would you want a particular physician, lawyer, engineer, etc. to be elite? One concept describes a person who is unusually competent. The other describes an entire group. The unusually competent, the competent and the incompetent are all included in the "elite" group. There are individuals who are unusually competent. There are no elite groups.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Peter, you are descibing two different things while appearing to descibe one. If the entire profession is elite why would you want a particular physician, lawyer, engineer, etc. to be elite? One concept describes a person who is unusually competent. The other describes an entire group. The unusually competent, the competent and the incompetent are all included in the "elite" group. There are individuals who are unusually competent. There are no elite groups.

... as in the old cliche about what you call the person who finished at the bottom of the class in med school ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TechBlue]

Peter, by definition are we calling lawyers an "elite" profession? I am curious as to what the delinnear is....and why would a journalist or an Instructor earning his living from teaching not be considered a "professional" and be any less elite?

 

[Kingpatzer]

Can you have "professionalism" without a generally accepted set of standards? I don't believe so -- or else what does one judge "professionalism" against?

Peter, you're simply misguided on multiple fronts.

First, you incorrectly presume that standards must be codified to be generally accepted. That is not the case.

Second, you incorrectly presume that there one and only one valid concept covered by a single denotative usage of "profession." That is not the case.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Peter, you're simply misguided on multiple fronts.

Oh that is more true than you can possibly know ... just ask his wife ...

I suspect Peter might be putting some of this stuff on the table to ... ah ... stimulate conversation ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)