Keyword notes

 Question 1

Morality, ethics, and law

a) In simple terms, what is the difference between morality and ethics in the mind map?
b) How does law relate to ethics, and why does “immoral” not always mean “illegal”?

a) Morality is an individual’s personal stance, principles, and values about right and wrong. Ethics are shared rules, principles, norms, and values of a social community that guide behaviour.

b) Law and ethics: laws flow from society’s moral principles. Some immoral actions may still be legal, so “immoral” does not always mean “illegal” and vice versa.

Question 2

Four main ethical perspectives

Name the four main ethical perspectives shown on the mind map and give one-line descriptions for each.

• Mill’s Utilitarianism: an action is right if it produces the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people.
• Kant’s Formalism: an action is correct if it follows a rule that could be accepted as a universal principle for everyone.
• Locke’s Rights Ethics: every person has basic rights such as life, health, liberty, possessions, and the product of their work simply by existing.
• Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics: happiness comes from developing virtues/character; moral behaviour is the “golden mean” between two extremes.

Question 3

Core tenets / Code of Ethics duties

From the Code of Ethics core tenets in the mind map, list four duties that professional engineers/geoscientists owe in their practice, for example to the public, to their profession, or to themselves.

Any four of these are correct:

• Protect the health, welfare, and safety of the public as paramount.
• Practice only in areas of competence.
• Conduct oneself with fairness, integrity, objectivity, and honesty.
• Comply with statutes, regulations, bylaws, and codes.
• Uphold and enhance the honour, reputation, and dignity of the professions.
• Avoid conflicts of interest.
• Maintain competence.
• Present clearly the possible consequences of ignoring technical advice.
• Report illegal or unethical behaviour.
• Promote equitable treatment of all people.

Question 4

Binding vs. non-binding documents

According to the mind map, what is the difference between:
a) Provincial / territorial association Codes of Ethics, and
b) Technical society codes / guidelines?
Include which ones are binding and which are voluntary.

a) Provincial / territorial association Codes of Ethics are binding. They guide professional conduct and are backed by legal authority from the Acts and regulations.

b) Technical society codes/guidelines are not binding. They are voluntary codes published by technical societies and do not have the same enforceability as regulators’ Codes of Ethics.

Question 5

Breach of the Code and common dilemmas

a) In many provinces, how is a breach of the Code of Ethics treated in relation to “professional misconduct”?
b) List two common ethical dilemmas from the mind map that can lead to trouble if handled poorly.

a) In several provinces, a breach of the Code of Ethics is treated as equivalent to professional misconduct, since “professional misconduct” is often undefined and understood to include Code breaches.

b) Common ethical dilemmas include overruling technical advice/decisions, conflict of interest, employment disputes, reviewing work of others, foreign assignments, confidentiality, illegal activities, and plagiarism/copyright issues. Any two are acceptable.