Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Rights have also been classifi ed as absolute or non-absolute. Absolute rights do
not have limitations or exceptions, i.e. they hold in all circumstances regardless,
whereas non-absolute rights do have limitations and exceptions. Human rights are
often considered to be absolute. However, in practice, different rights may be in
confl ict with each other. For instance, the rights to be equal in dignity and the right
to free speech could be in confl ict, if the right to free speech is considered to include
the right for instance to make insulting statements about disabled or ethnic minority
people.
2.3.1.3
Rule-Based Ethics: Codes of Ethics and Legislation
Rule-based ethics is based on the application of rules. Rule-based deontological
and consequentialist ethics have already been discussed. One important source of
rules is the codes of ethics or professional conduct of professional societies and
institutions, such as those in the different branches of science and engineering.
Many professions and professional societies have codes to guide the actions of their
members. Codes can provide general guidelines about appropriate and ethical
behaviour. However, codes should not be considered a substitute for taking indi-
vidual and collective responsibility. For instance, the situation you are dealing with
may not be covered by the code. It should also be recognised that, although codes
of conduct may have an ethical role, they are not identical to codes of ethics.
However, both can have similar roles, and professionalism should be an additional
motive for ethical behaviour.
Codes can fulfi l a number of useful functions, including providing support for
engineers and other professionals with concerns about the way a project is carried
out or its long-term consequences and giving engineers some group backing in
taking stands on ethical issues. They could also provide legal support to engineers
criticised for following professional obligations.
An analysis of several different codes shows that their provisions (Oldenquist
and Slowter
1979
) can be divided into three main categories: (1) the public interest,
(2) desirable qualities and (3) professional performance. Although this analysis is
not recent, it still holds for many current codes. However, such codes rarely indicate
how decisions should be made in the case of confl icting obligations, although it is
such confl icting obligations that frequently give rise to ethical problems.
While there is a difference between professional codes and codes of ethics, many
of the ethical codes seem closer to codes of professional practice. Engineering codes
generally consider that engineers have primary duties to the public, the profession
and the employer or client. Unfortunately these different duties may be in confl ict.
Although codes are important for encouraging ethical practices, existing codes
have some limitations. In the past, they have tended to restrict ethical behaviour by
individual engineers to protecting the profession's public image. There can be
tensions between obligations to employers and the profession and wider obligations
to society. Confl icts of interest arise when it is diffi cult or impossible to meet all
obligations simultaneously, but codes rarely provide guidance on the priorities in
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