Professionalization—and a Relevant Code of Ethics

The emphasis in the current ASCE Code of Ethics is directed toward consulting practices, negotiations for employment, vendor relations, relations with other engineers, and proprietary information. These topics were of central interest as our young profession fought for recognition. In the decades ahead, however, the emphasis should fall in another area—that gray area which defines the relationship between engineering accomplishment and our physical, social, and political environments. The interface between what we design and build and their effects on mankind are either not covered by existing ethical canons or leave doubt as to how the canons should be interpreted and implemented. In our rapidly advancing technological society, this situation is no longer tolerable.