David

Orona
EE 394
To Do, or Not to Do: The Ethical Dilemma

Whether one desires it or not, the up and coming undergraduate engineer is constantly faced

with ethical decisions. Whether it be from deciding to copy that homework solution from Chegg to
borrowing that bit of code from GitHub, the choices that individual makes represents who they are as
a character and what they deem as acceptable in life. As life entails, though, the choices one makes hold
consequences. These consequences can be dire in many cases if the choice selected is deemed
unacceptable by society. Expulsion from school, termination from work, to even jail time, just to name a
few, await those that hold poor ethical behavior. The simple fact remains that the skills and virtues one
builds in their educational career and lifestyle go on to define the figure they will be for the rest of their
life.

The main purpose of a Code of Ethics, as foretold above, provides a set set of standards in which

to objectively gage whether a company or a sole individual is upholding the conditions of what it means
to be an engineer. In other words, it effectively provides a benchmark in which the differentiation
between good and bad is made. It is an extremely optimistic perspective to believe that we all are
blessed the knowledge to determine whether a situation is acceptable or not. After all, we all have these
decisions in our daily life, and, over the course of time, it is with hope that we have learned from our
mistakes to overall present a more respectable entity. However, as wonderful as this sounds, there are
those that never quite picked up on this principle simply because the came from a totally different
lifestyle and thus have their own totally different perspectives. A man, for example, who grew up in
slummy conditions and had to make an effort every day just to stay alive, could most certainly have a
warped sense of right and wrong, at least from our standpoint. They may find it ethical to steal. They
may also find it worth it to endanger someones else life to protect their own. With this wide variety of

variant experiences, it is probable their decision makings in the workplace is likely to be skewed and
taken with negative response. This is why the Code of Ethics is in play. With a fixed set of standards to
analyze, there is no question as to whether ethically the choices made by an individual or a company are
in the right or wrong. They are quite simply one way, or the other. As to how the different out-looking
sole reacts to and is dealt with by the established Code is up for a higher power to determine.

In terms of how I deal with an ethical choice, the decision, from my perspective, is relatively

simple. Going back to the idea of inherited traits, I would say my parents did an adequate job in raising
me to be the responsible adult I am today. They instilled in me what was right, while at the same time
designating what was wrong. Refusing to share a toy, for instance, was deemed a negative decision, and
was consequently dealt with in a negative punishment. Good behavior, on the other hand, such as
cleaning up my room without asked or getting all of my homework done, was rewarded with
encouragement and reward. Though these memories seem juvenile by todays standards, the decisions
and reactions I received in my childhood have defined the line between good and bad and made me into
the man I am today. In a sense, though the outcomes may be slightly different, my parents instilled
within me the moral practicality to analyze every ethical decision as simple as refusing to share and
cleaning my room. For instance, there have been times in the past where it has been tempting to steal
an answer or two from sites such as Chegg.com or Coursehero.com. After all, it would be easy just to
make a few pen strokes and save time. However, looking at this ethically, the cons are just as
devastating. I would not learn anything by simply copying. More notably, I could get caught and face the
consequences of refusing to share. Weighing the positives against the negatives, I always make the
right choice and absolve from copying. It does not take a special set of rules or forced hand decisions to
make me do it; it simply is a matter of looking to my roots and believing in the belief structure I have laid
for myself.

Bringing these ethical skills I obtained as a youth to the present, I was able to perform admirably

in a general group discussion over the recent Volkswagen debacle. For those that are unaware, the
overall consensus of the issue is that Volkswagen, a German company known for its industry in cars, is
being sued on the basis that a defeat device was inserted into thousands of engines to meet the
emission standards we have today. Basically, despite the harsh chemicals it continued to output, such as
PM, CO2, NOx, the company found a way to trick the environmental testing devices and appear to be an
overall safe device. However, upon the discovery of this circuit that output false data, the company is
now in jeopardy of owing in upwards of over $18 billion.

Despite the option to have varying opinions, the group for the most part agreed with one

another that Volkswagen, despite being a company of notorious engineering, failed to uphold the ethical
statements suggested by the IEEE Code of Ethics and the Virtue Ethics as described in a provided
document. Notably, the failed to take responsibility for the actions and justifications they put forth.
Throughout the course of the material, for instance, there was no supreme consensus on who exactly
was the cause of this unethical integrated circuit. Though it was mentioned the senior staff were more
than likely going to feel the consequences of this upset, there was no definitive proof that anyone was
to blame. In a sense, not one individual decided to come forward to at least elaborate on terrible
decision making of the company, opting instead to hide from the punishment and consequences of bad
decisions that have been there since youth. They upheld or otherwise ignored that voice inside telling
one to make reasonable choices to overall benefit your overall man, all in the name of saving a bit of
money by not conforming to EPA standards. Similarly, the company was not honest and faithful in
regards to the brand they have created. Rather than taking the time to execute plans to improve and
cure environmental concerns, someone, or someone(s), deemed it ethical to take the shortcut and input
a device solely meant for the act of continuing their line of products unhealthy principles. They failed to
account for the worlds well-being, and instead output thousands of defective models. Ultimately, as

noted before, Volkswagen, or namely the individual or individuals that took part in this anti-fidelity act,
set aside that childhood image. They tossed away that voice inside that determines the difference
between good and evil, or, if you want to refer to the having warped interpretations theory as
discussed before, failed to take account and keep it in check to IEEE ethics. They set it aside, with the
hope and desire they would receive the reward despite making the choice that results in punishment.

Although several other ethical arguments could be applied to the Volkswagen scheme, the

underlining principle is the same no matter what. No matter who you are in life, whether it be an
engineer or a novelist, you always will come across ethical situations where one of two decisions can be
made. On one hand, you can choose to be honest to the principles and strengths that you learned and
attained as a child. You can make the choice to clean your room. You can make the decision to complete
your homework. Overall, you can demonstrate the full potential of what it means to be a dedicated,
resourceful human. On the other hand, though, you can choose to ignore this voice, instead deciding it
is worth the risk of demoralizing your character and risking your future, all in the name of attaining
things faster/cheaper/etc. The choice is ultimately yours to make. Whether you grew up in a normalized,
stable environment or a slum town where many sacrifices were entailed, the choices are always in the
hands of individual and whether or not they will choose to conform to a designated set of beliefs. The
only question is: which will you choose?