I happened to think that nuclear power is a good thing (or at least, that it can be). Many people agree with me. I'm at odds with people who think that nuclear power is evil. Is it unethical for me to write firmware for a nuclear power plant?
Frankly, these lists of things that engineers need to follow in order to behave ethically pop up every now and then, and it's clear to me that the authors of these lists have their own agendas. As I've said, I refuse to be used. I'll pick my own standards.
The lists appear to be so broad that they're useless (e.g., "Don't be evil") or so narrow that they are instruments of control ("Don't work on X or Y or Z").
So I think we're in agreement.
Finally, it's likely that the number of engineers who actually do evil is quite small, and of a character that, upon reading a code of ethics, they are rather unlikely to shake their heads, wake up and change their ways. (I'm thinking in particular about malware writers, but there are many other examples).
Frankly, these lists of things that engineers need to follow in order to behave ethically pop up every now and then, and it's clear to me that the authors of these lists have their own agendas. As I've said, I refuse to be used. I'll pick my own standards.
The lists appear to be so broad that they're useless (e.g., "Don't be evil") or so narrow that they are instruments of control ("Don't work on X or Y or Z").
So I think we're in agreement.
Finally, it's likely that the number of engineers who actually do evil is quite small, and of a character that, upon reading a code of ethics, they are rather unlikely to shake their heads, wake up and change their ways. (I'm thinking in particular about malware writers, but there are many other examples).