Ethics at Israeli universities: unlearned lessons from professional ethics

At the practical level, sustained attention to ethical issues in academia in Israel is inadequate. This paper suggests that professional models of ethics education and training present constructive alternatives. The author views this topic from the dual perspective of a professional clinical psychologist and a committed faculty member. After a brief introduction, the paper opens with a case vignette of ethical violations of trust in academia, its handling, and how a similar case 25 years later illustrates the lack of progress in preparing the academic community for such things. A discussion of normative actions and behavioral norms in academia follows. Three lessons from the professions are offered: 1) the importance of involving members in the process of identifying ethical violations; 2) the value of adopting for academia current practices preparing persons for work in research, (for example the standardization of online modules for training in ethics); and c) the significance of addressing self-interest and its limits. If silence around a code of ethics is being practiced, that silence should be broken.