The Perils of Professionalism

Abstract

S ince the sixteenth century, the word profession has been used in English to refer to either (a) any occupation, no matter how lowly, by which one earns a living, or (b) a small number of particular, high-status occupations. That is, it refers either to everyone who works, or to a select few. Until the end of the eighteenth century, the particular occupations to which the dignifying word profession was attached were almost never other than four-law, medicine, the clergy, and sometimes military officers. Since then, however, consensus has crumbled. Today the word still refers either to any occupation or to some especially prestigious ones, but there is little agreement about which occupations are among the select few. These three books, all concerned with professions in the United States, together deal with a range of occupations that extends well beyond the traditional professions and, at the same time, comment on the perils of professionalism.