Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 9.6
Software engineers shall continually endeavor to improve their ability to create
safe, reliable, and useful quality software at reasonable cost and within a reasonable time
(clause 8.02).
In this section we analyze the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional
Practice and derive an alternate set of underlying principles upon which it rests.
The preamble to the code points out that there is no mechanical process for determining
the correct actions to take when faced with a moral problem. Our experience evaluating
moral problems related to the introduction and use of information technology confirms
this statement. Even two people with similar philosophies may reach different conclu-
sions when confronted with a moral problem. Two Kantians may agree on the basic facts
of a moral problem but disagree on how to characterize the will of the moral agent. Two
utilitarians may agree on the benefits and harms resulting from a proposed action but
assign different weights to the outcomes, causing them to reach opposite conclusions.
The preamble also warns against taking an overly legalistic view of the code. Simply
because an action is not expressly forbidden by the code does not mean it is morally
acceptable. Instead, judgment is needed to detect when a moral problem has arisen and
to determine the right thing to do in a particular situation.
While the code is expressed as a collection of rules, these rules are based on princi-
ples grounded in different ethical theories. This is not surprising, considering that the
code was drafted by a committee. When we encounter a situation where two rules con-
flict, the preamble urges us to ask questions that will help us consider the principles
