Highlights
Our 13 points can be further grouped into X areas that we feel are important. Numbers 0, 5 and C are what I call having a “liberal arts” mindset. That’s not an official term, I just made it up. It’s influenced by being an ND student. Basically, never stop working on yourself. By broadening your mind and recognizing your strengths, you are better suited to identify areas where you will be most effective. That’s my rationale behind a liberal arts education.
Numbers 1, 2, A and B are the “good person” points. These points are also influenced by being from ND. All of these points focus on how to act towards other people from a narrow to super wide spectrum. By following these points, more work gets done, more people are included, and society gets better.
Numbers 3, 6, 7 are the “social responsibility” points. As software eats the world, people without computer science knowledge are at a potential disadvantage. The idea of social responsibility in spreading the knowledge of computer science is a hallmark of our discipline. By teaching our craft we level the playing field for those wanting to become hackers, and we offer an avenue for brilliant new ideas to emerge.
Numbers 4, 8, 9 are the “personal responsibility” points. As software engineers and computer scientists, we have will have a great deal more accountability and responsibility in the future. To make sure we minimize damage to the general population, and maximize social good, we must be personally responsible for our actions, lest they go on to affect others negatively.
Weaknesses
Needless to say, our document is imperfect. We need our document to be actionable, but for a code of ethics to really stand the test of time, it must also be vague. There are a host of issues that are not addressed by this document, and new ones are emerging constantly. We talked about user privacy, but not ethical issues involving new technologies like drones or self driving cars. In truth, no actionable document can cover all possible ethical issues that may arise from technology. In my opinion the best way to cover all your bases is to isolate principles that are vague enough that they can be flexible for future, unforeseen circumstances.
Usefulness
Enumerating a code of ethics is a very helpful exercise. A code of ethics itself is not a useful document if one must strictly adhere to it. There will always be gaps and vague statements, and nobody wants to memorize a list of ethics anyway. Instead the value in enumerating a code of ethics is that it helps us distill core principles. These core principles are in general much easier to follow, and they stand the test of time. What’s easier to remember, the latter seven of the Ten Commandments or “Do unto others as you would have done unto you”? It may still be hard to follow, but at least it’s something everyone knows they should follow.
