Ethics versus Ethical Codes

Abstract

Abstract Ethical standards codified by major professional archaeological organizations mainly serve an educational purpose, given that sanctions are beyond the purview of most such bodies (but see below discussion of Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA). The three main problems with these codes are (1) People do not read them; (2) People do not understand them; and (3) Organizations do not update them. To be effective, codes of ethics must be regularly revisited and deliberately founded on a commitment to a defined “good” sensu Wylie’s 2003 interpretations of Kant. In the case of archaeology, that commitment must be to human rights as defined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Although the ethical practice of archaeology falls under the requirements set out in several of the UN articles, this chapter will focus on Article 12.