责任的社会工作者道德理论与实践的含义【外文翻译】

本科毕业设计（论文）

外文翻译

原文：

The responsibility of the social worker: ethical implications of

theory and practice

Heinz J. Kersting

Protestant University of Applied Sciences, Freiburg, and Institute of Consultation and Supervision, Aachen, Germany

Abstract：Purpose–To focus on the topic of ethics and responsibility, specifically on the ethical action of the social worker.

Design/methodology/approach–Considers that while ethical questions are discussed in social discourse everywhere, social work in Germany seems to avoid a reformulation of deeply ethical premises. This is perhaps so, because ethics already are implicit in the actions of social work.

Findings– The author believes that the implicit dealing with ethics on the part of the social worker is simila r to the “implicit ethics” of Heinz von Foester, which “cannot be articulated”, but are immanent in every action.

Originality/value– A consideration of the ethical responsibilities of the social worker.

Keywords Cybernetics；Ethics,；Social welfare

Nowadays, there are no more conferences, where there is not at least one lecture dedicated to the topic of ethics. Almost every professional group concerns itself with this topic, and many professional associations establish committees on ethics. The German government recently established an ethics committee, with very distinguished members, focussed on the problems of stem cell research. When one looks at the literature, we see a blossoming landscape of ethics, which is semantically innovative, used economically, and politically arguable. Presented linguistically and

sometimes already established as morality in technology, business ethics, bio-ethics and until now appearing only in the form of neologisms such as theor-ethics, CybernEthics (von Foerster, 1993b), aesthethics and gene-ethics. Economically rewarding, one finds morality as something for consultants to investin. Politically speaking, morality is often assiduously taxed, as most recently in the discussion for and against the Iraqi war. Ethical imperatives are very current for business, and increasingly ethical questions, concerns and limitations are also being discussed in relation to scientific research, especially in the fields of gene technology and brain research.

Here I will focus on the topic of ethics of responsibility, i.e. on the ethical acting of the social worker. However, the professional group of social workers in Germany seems to be immune regarding the topic of its own professional ethics, at least when one looks at the professional literature, browses through the respective magazines and attentively listens to conversations among colleagues. It seems to me that, aside from some exceptions, German social work is little touched by questions regarding ethics.By comparison, social workers in the US and the Netherlands have succeeded in coming up with a “code of ethics”, recognized by its professional group. Perhaps social workers in Germany are mentally too inflexible to pick up on the important developments of the times. Perhaps for them ethical questions are a matter of course in their acting, not warranting big discussions. Perhaps, however, something already shows in their implicit handling of ethics that makes for the standing of ethics in the last years of the second and the first years of the third millennium, thereby pointing to a new and rather useful approach to ethics.

Well, I do not think that German social workers are mentally less flexible than the social workers of other countries and the members of the other professional groups. Possibly they perceive the world more pragmatically, need to improvise more, and overload themselves with work so that while they are acting they do not have much time left for explicit ethical reflecting. On the other hand, in many areas, especially those concerning the marginal zones and the vital questions of society, the German social workers have their fingers on the pulse of the times, while