This article argues that as adult educators we should not be outside the remit of our own theorising. It begins with an earlier effort to construct an ethical grammar to audit the probity of working to change others through adult education. This is situated in terms of contemporary debates about the possibility of truth and certainty in understanding and changing the world. Maintaining the vision of adult education as a transformative force in society while respecting the integrity of our students as co-participants in this process is identified as a pivotal challenge. Constraints on engaging with this challenge are analysed and further resources for turning theory on ourselves are suggested. (Contains 1 table.)