Exploring Professional Ethics in Archaeology
Ethics is the study of moral philosophy, which helps us to decide what is right and to act accordingly. One of the hallmarks of professional institutes is that they have developed codes of ethical behaviour that all members are required to abide by. These rules are created by professionals to deal with complex situations where right and wrong are not easily perceived and may not even be fixed. In this blog Phoebe Wild shares her recent experience taking part in a workshop looking at ethical decision making in archaeology.
The recent workshop “Practising ethical competence in archaeology” hosted by the CIfA Scottish Group was an engaging and informative session, highlighting the frequency that professional archaeologists are faced with ethical questions. We moved beyond the ‘big’ ethical concepts, instead and focussed on the ethical decision making in day to day conduct.
Case studies were used to provide a framework for discussion and debate about the ethical ramifications of certain actions; poor ‘Sandy the Archaeologist’ was faced with numerous hurdles to ethical practice, including external pressures and her own questionable decisions.
As we progressed, the scenarios Sandy found her in seemed a veritable minefield of ethical dilemmas; key questions were raised about objectivity, confidentiality, and responsibility. How can one balance the needs of the client and the public? How does one know who needs to know what? How comfortable would one feel explaining actions taken to someone else?
Navigating the ethics of straightforward and standard professional activities can seem like a difficult enterprise, however, the workshop signposted key resources for decision making including CIfA’s practice paper: An introduction to professional ethics which makes reference to the RIGHT approach, proposed by Roger Steare:
R: what do the Rules say?
I: how do I act with Integrity
G: to whom would the possible courses of action do the most Good?
H: to whom would the possible courses of action do the most Harm?
T: am I being Truthful?
These key questions can enable a rapid assessment of a decision to ensure ethical practice. The practice paper also provides an excellent breakdown of how to make ethical decisions in the context of professional archaeology and the appropriate questions to ask yourself to help resolve ethical dilemmas.
The workshop also highlighted the barriers and inhibitors to ethical decision making in professional situations, such as a lack of experience or not having a full understanding of others’ motivations. Acting on limited knowledge can definitely muddy the ethical waters. In situations such as these, our workshop group determined that recognising that this is the case is the first step towards making the right decision.
Ultimately, it seems there are few catch-all, fool-proof ethical rules for day to day conduct; each new situation requires appropriate analysis and consideration to ensure that ethical choices are being made. Although this might seem a daunting task, support is available! Opportunities for learning from others’ experiences in workshops such as the one discussed here, and resources provided by CIfA are valuable tools for developing ethical competence.
