Philosophy

Harris  basically  focuses  on  the  issues  and  concerns  encountered  while  analyzing  the  feasibility  of  implementing  the  engineering  standard  code  of  ethics  globally  and  discusses  the  various  aspects  of  the  ethical  code,  enumerating  the  social,  cultural,  ethical  and  socio-economic  bottlenecks  faced  in  different  geographies  around  the  globe.  Further,  he  advocates  for  a  culture  transition  formula  as  a  path  to  address  such  concerns.

The  fact  that  what  is  suitable  to  one  person  may  not  be  perceived  as  such  by  another.  There  may  be  some  cultural  and  economic  variations  across  geographies,  which  may  hamper  the  implementation  of  such  standards.  Suppose  Engineer  Robert  has  got  the  responsibility  to  ensure  the  quality  of  engineering  work,  maintain  the  health  and  safety  standards,  prevent  corruption  and  uphold  the  traditional  values  using  his  skill-set.  But,  there  are  certain  loopholes  and  constraints  in  the  prevalent  system  in  some  places,  because  of  which  he  is  unable  to  perform  his  task  and  meet  the  standards.  Harris  has  pointed  out  those  loopholes  when  the  professional  codes  are  applied  to  some  host  country.

 It  is  well  known  fact  that  if  something  can  be  acceptable  for  somebody  to  use  in  some  place,  but  the  same  logic  can  prove  to  be  unacceptable  if  put  to    another  place.  But,  still  there  are  certain  ethics  and  values  which  are  universally  accepted.  There  are  certain  basic  human  rights  and  duties  which  are  recognized  and  honored  by  the  human  species.  Harris  has  identified  and  designed  a  few  guidelines  by  taking  into  account  the  common  values  of  different  cultures.

There  are  chances  that  the  culture  and  behavior  in  the  home  country  may  not  match  with  that  of  the  host  country.  Clearly,  the  guidelines  should  be  designed  on  the  basis  of  the  common  practices  and  values  existing  in  both  the  countries.   Harris  has  designed  these  guidelines  on  the  basis  of  some  universally  accepted  sources  such  as  common  values  preached  by  all  religions,  guidelines  set  by  the  international  organizations,  moral  theories  and  the  ASME  international  code  itself.

Based  on  these  sources,  Harris  has  provided  a  nine  point  Culture  Transcending  Guideline  which  is  applicable  worldwide(513).  He  emphasizes  on  the  need  to  avoid  exploitation,  promote  moral  values,  prevent  corruption  etc.  He  also  highlights  the  importance  of  safeguarding  human  rights  and  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  host  nation  to  keep  the  social  fabric  intact.  Health  and  safety  of  the  individuals  is  an  inevitable  provision,  when  we  also  need  to  protect  the  interests  of  the  background  institutions.

Harris  has  handled  the  challenge  of  implementing  the  guidelines,  by  examining  different  prevalent  conditions,  analyzing  them  and  finding  a  best  possible  creative  middle  path(519).  Citing  different  cases  and  examples,  where  there  is  a  possibility  for  conflict,  the  author  has  provided  solutions  to  the  best  possible  extent.