Strengths And Weaknesses Of The ASME Code Of Ethics Of Engineers

The ASME Code of Ethics of Engineers begins with the three Fundamental Principles that contain both utilitarian and egalitarian ideals. It states that engineers should use their skills, knowledge, and position to “enhance human welfare” as well as “increase the competence and prestige of the engineering profession.” It is clear that these principles are focused on guiding an engineer’s actions toward maximizing human well-being and extending the benefits to all humans and all engineers involved. Sometimes engineering is viewed as a profession of those who are gifted in their understanding of mathematics and physics and who are motivated strictly by material wealth. This is an important addition because it defines the purpose of the profession of engineering first and foremost as a way to enrich the lives of humanity, not as a method of monetary gain.
However, the code does enumerate protections for engineers against other engineers. Even though it describes the profession of engineering as one that benefits humanity, there is still a need to

Fundamental Canon 2 states that engineers “shall not compete unfairly with others.” The use of the word “unfairly” is where the subjectivity appears. As long as the actions of an engineer are within “the Constitution, By-Laws and Policies of the Society” they belong to, the idea of unfair competition is very arbitrary. It can be taken to mean that an individual (in this case, an engineer) has taken advantage of an opportunity that others did not have. However, one can argue that the fairness of a competition does not depend on the situations in which a group of competing individuals finds themselves, as long as all individuals are given the same opportunity for preparation. The use of this term makes the entire canon difficult to enforce as the meaning of fairness in competition is not clearly defined