Hello and thank you for your thoughtful question. (And thank you for reading our book!)
The issue you bring up is related to what's called "Cultural Relativism" (
Engineering Ethics: Real World Case Studies, pp 11-13). There is no doubt that people--individuals--have their own preferences, wants, needs, etc., that set them apart as individuals. I like anchovies on my pizza; my wife doesn't. These are preferences that can easily co-exist in the same household. There's also no doubt that groups of people--cultures--have practices and customs that set them apart from other cultures. Hungarians (my heritage) believe it's wrong to toast (as in, "cheers!") with beer;
wine is the only appropriate drink to toast with. Venezuelans (where I grew up) don't care what people toast with, and Venezuelans and Hungarians generally accept that this is just a different custom. The key question here is this: does the fact that some cultures' customs are different mean that there are no
moral values common to human beings generally? I believe that the answer to that question is "no," and my argument follows a philosophical position called "moral pluralism."
One of the benefits of ASCE's Code of Ethics is that it provides some guidance regarding what
engineers should hold valuable. In the Preamble, the Code lists four "Fundamental Principles" that govern our careers. "Creating safe, resilient, and sustainable infrastructure" (the first of such principles) guides our
profession--
all engineers, of
all cultures. "Treat all persons with respect, dignity, and fairness" (the second one) is a moral value that ought to bind all of humanity, and it appears in the Code of Ethics (more than once!) precisely because it establishes a desire to uphold it as a governing principle for the profession.
Each of the five "Stakeholders" that follow (Society, Natural and Built Environment, Profession, Clients and Employers, and Peers),
which are listed in order of priority, also provide a list of "Ethical Responsibilities" that ought to guide our engineers as they carry out their professional lives. "Express professional opinions truthfully" (1.c) tells us that
honesty is a moral virtue that
all engineers should have. "Perform services only in areas of their competence" is a responsibility that applies to all engineers: Hungarian and Venezuelan engineers, whether or not they like anchovies.
ASCE's Code of Ethics may help sort out some of the more obvious moral dilemmas that engineers will face in the course of their careers. There may be situations, however, that might call for more careful analysis. Maybe the debate is over conflicting values (report misconduct (1.i and 5.i) versus confidentiality (4.e)?), maybe the issue revolves around the relative impact of our decisions (benefit to society at a cost to the environment? benefit to our client at a cost to our peers?). In such cases, our best advice is to bring these discussions up as we would any other engineering dilemma: have an open (and perhaps lively!) conversation with our peers and supervisors. In case of doubt or impasse, ASCE's Hotline might be able to help!
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Carlos Bertha, Ph.D
Professor of Philosophy
United States Air Force Academy
COL (Ret.), USAR
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-11-2021 05:28 PM
From: Oanh Le
Subject: Ask Me Anything: ASCE's New Code of Ethics
Hi ASCE,
I am reading through the first chapter of the Engineering Ethics Real World Case Studies. Our discipline requires that we hold safety as our first objective. There are philosophical questions and actions involved about bringing a better value to our projects to improve our communities, to be driven in find ways to serve the public and our clients. These are standard rules but when our authors break down the meaning of each of these words and their meanings, sometimes it becomes relative to each person or groups of people. It's definition, weight, and value changes. I am only on the first chapter, and what I have learned is that as engineers, we are at the intersection of valuable decisions. The significance of value weighs differently because of its relative nature to who we ask to define these values and to who has a right to define these values. I haven't practiced this enough, but I have noticed there is an individual set of values, a community set of values, and a universal set of values that sometimes conflict, as is written in the book.
Question(s):
How do engineers practice in our discipline when there are decisions that sometimes conflict with different sets of values and sometimes contradict one another? How do we weigh each of the values over another? And how do engineers practice judgement to bring value to their clients without infringing on their own values and freedom?
Thank you.
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Oanh Le, A.M.ASCE (She/Her)
Rochdale, MA
Original Message:
Sent: 04-11-2021 08:54 AM
From: Tirza Austin
Subject: Ask Me Anything: ASCE's New Code of Ethics
With the adoption of its new Code of Ethics, ASCE has updated the primary document that guides and protects decisions made by civil engineers around the world. Approved by the ASCE Board of Direction on October 26, 2020, this is the first wholesale update of the code since 1976. The changes went into effect immediately.
Do you have any questions about the changes? Do you need guidance "for a friend" on how the new language applies in a particular case? You're invited to participate in an ethics workshop by posting your questions in this thread until Friday, April 16. All submitted questions will be reviewed by volunteers that contributed to the development of the new Code of Ethics, and you will receive a response by April 19th on the thread. Learn more about the experts.
For this event, we have temporarily enabled the "Post Anonymously" feature so you can anonymously post your question.
Quick reminder: All questions need to comply with the ASCE Collaborate Code of Conduct. PDH's will not be issued for participating in this event.
I look forward to hearing from you!
****This event is for ASCE members only. You can join ASCE here.
You can access other ASCE ethics resources here.
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Tirza Austin
Manager, Online Community
American Society of Civil Engineers
1801 Alexander Bell Drive
Reston, VA 20191
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