During the second week of lecture, one professor from the engineering faculty spoke to us, or rather derisively informed us, about what constitutes an engineering ethic. That is, the practices considered ethical according to engineering standards.

It seems engineers have higher standards — quite higher in fact — than those of “normal” people. To paraphrase our lecturer, “your neighbors will know you are better than the average person because you are an engineer and because you belong to a group that adheres to a strong code of ethics.”

First ethical code of engineering: have a big ego. After informing us engineers are more important than other people because engineers “affect people” through their work, our professor told us that, because of the repercussions of our work, it is necessary to pursue sustainability and public safety; the second ethical code of engineering.

Can you begin to identify the problem? If engineers so ethically were concerned about public safety and so ethically concerned about sustainability, a significant number of the engineering challenges faced today would not exist.

Perhaps in the past, engineers were too concerned with their egos and, in thinking they were better than others, were not all too concerned with the effects their work had on the people they thought they were better than.

Indeed, if engineers subscribed to any kind of reasonable ethical standard or code other than what this professor — who will remain nameless for the simple fact that he is no better than any other person — was teaching us, the world would be better for it.

Engineers should be concerned with sustainability and public safety first and not be concerned with how stringent their ethical code is and how it elevates them above others. In fact, engineers should not be concerned with the rigor of their ethical code as a part of the ethical code at all, which was the only other discernible ethic imparted to us during the lecture.

All other people affect people, too. Just because one happens to choose a career path that increases the magnitude of that effect does nothing whatsoever to increase their personhood — or their greatness.

Stop inflating your own ego, professor, and please, please teach us an ethical code that actually promotes good ethics. Then, maybe, we can begin working to engineer a better world. Then, maybe, we can begin addressing many of the problems surrounding sustainability. Then, maybe, we can begin addressing the issue of public safety.

Adam Liter, computer science freshman