It is widely recognized that professionals such as doctors, nurses, engineers, and teachers have duties that go far beyond those of ordinary citizens, but there is much disagreement as to why they have such duties. In Professional Ethics: A Trust-Based Approach, Terrence Kelly argues that such duties come from the unique trust that professionals must invite, develop, and honor from those they serve. Without trust, professional practice would be significantly impoverished—both ethically and instrumentally— and the autonomy enjoyed by many professions would evaporate. Professionals therefore have good reasons to be “effectively trustworthy”— that is, to develop the virtues necessary to be responsive to the vulnerability of those they serve; and effectively communicate that responsiveness to others. Being effectively trustworthy requires a commitment by professionals as individual practitioners and as members of ethical communities committed to building a culture of trust.

人们普遍认为，医生、护士、工程师和教师等专业人员的职责远远超出了普通公民的职责范围，但对于他们为什么要承担这些职责，人们存在很大分歧。在《职业道德：基于信任的方法》一书中，特伦斯·凯利（Terrence Kelly）认为，这种责任来自于专业人士必须邀请、培养和尊重他们所服务的人的独特信任。如果没有信任，专业实践在道德和手段上都将严重贫乏——许多专业所享有的自主权也将蒸发。因此，专业人士有充分的理由“有效地值得信赖”——也就是说，培养必要的美德，以应对他们所服务的人的脆弱性；并有效地将这种反应传达给他人。有效地值得信赖需要专业人士作为个体从业者和道德社区成员致力于建立信任文化。