Rationale for a Code of Professional Ethics for Simulationistsoren/pres/2002-07 D84-Rationale.pdf · Rationale for a Code of Professional Ethics for Simulationists ... • Engineering

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SCSC’2002 and SimSummitSan Diego, CA, July 14-19, 2002

Rationale for a Code of Professional Ethics for Simulationists

Tuncer Ören, Professor EmeritusOttawa Center of the McLeod Institute of Simulation Sciences of the SCSUniversity of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canadahttp://www.site.uottawa.ca/~oren/

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Why?

“We all think electricity is entirely governed by natural laws, and yet we think it is rational to put up lightning conductors. Well, I should say that an ethic is, as it were, a lightning conductor for human passions, to enable them within a deterministic world to work in a way that produces a minimum of disaster.”

Bertrand Russell, 1942 (Spinoza’a Ethics)

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Plan:BackgroundRationale

A position statement & examples3 aspects of professionalism in M&S

& TerminologyRespect for the rights of others

& Professionalism and codes of ethicsWhy it is time for us, the simulationists?Relevant codes

Code of professional ethics for simulationists

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symposium – on the 65th birthday of Prof. Maurice S. Elzas 1999 July, Wageningen, the Netherlands

publications:

Transactions of the SCS, 17:4 (Dec.) 2000.

Ören, T.I. (2000). Responsibility, Ethics, and Simulation.

Transactions of the SCS, San Diego, CA., 17:4 (Dec.), 165-170.

(An early version was published in German: Ören, T.I. (2000 - Invited contribution). Verantwortung, Ethik und Simulation. In: R. Rimane (ed.)Gedanken zur Zeit. Translated from the original in English into German by: G. Horton. SCS Europe BVBA, Ghent, Belgium. pp. 213-224.)

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in 2001, 2 parallel events:Bruce Fairchild, after reading the article in the Transactions, motivated Tuncer Ören to develop a Code of Ethics.

2001 June, Delft, the Netherlands, 4th International Eurosim Congress

Maurice S. Elzas organized an Ethics SessionTuncer Ören presented: “Responsibility, Ethics, & Simulation: A Review of

Issues”Iva Smith was very active in theSession.

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Position Statement:

• The growing importance and the scope of application areas of modelling and simulation oblige us to re-examine our fieldand reflect upon whether or not those who are involved in any aspect of it have any responsibility.

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“The unexamined life is not worth living.”Socrates (469-399 BC)

And “life” may well cover professional societies and professions as well.

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Ethics and simulation – A personal normative view:

Ethics in simulation should be raised to a visible status.

(Or justifications should be given why while so many

other professions are subscribing to codes of ethics,

ethics is not mentioned in simulation studies.)

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Some examples of categories of usages of M&S:

• Training to enhance motor and operational skills (and associated decision making skills)

• Training to enhance decision making skills• Education• Evaluating alternative courses of actions• Acquisition• Operational support• Engineering design• Prototyping• Diagnosis• Proof of concept• Understanding

For details, Tables 1, 2, in the text

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Training to enhance motor and operational skills(and associated decision making skills)

virtual simulation (i.e., using virtual equipment and real people (human-in-the-loop) in a simulation study) aircraft simulator for pilot trainingaugmented reality simulation (such as in-flight pilot training with additional artificial intelligence aircrafts)virtual body for medicinenuclear reactor simulator power plant simulator

ill-prepared operators (civilian as well as military) for regular operating conditions and/or for rare conditions.

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3 Aspects of Professionalism in M&S: Knowledge, Activities, Behavior

Application Area(s)

Code of Professional Ethics

Scie

nce

Te chno log y

M&S BoK

Certification of Professionalism

Professional and Ethical Conduct

Kno

wle

dge

Gen

erat

ion

&D

isse

min

atio

n:(A

cade

mia

, R&

D)

Wealth G

eneration (Products/Services):

(Industry)

Knowledge:To solve problems:- M&S BoK- Science - Technology- Application Area(s)How to solve them (behavior):- Code of Professional Ethics

Activities: - Knowledge Generation and

Dissemination:(Academia, R&D)

- Wealth Generation(Products/Services):(Industry)

Behavior:- Professional and EthicalConduct

- Certification of Professıonalısm

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Terminology:

• Simulation, Simulationist• Ethic, Ethics• Professional Ethics• Responsible, Accountable

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Simulation is goal-directed experimentation with dynamic models(i.e., models with time-varying behavior).

Simulationists are professionals involved in modelling and simulation activities and/or with providing modelling and simulation productsand/or services.

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Ethic is a set of principles of right conduct.

Ethics refers to the general nature of morals and the specific moral choices to be made by a person.

Professional ethics, i.e., the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession. The terms medical ethics and business ethics are used similarly.

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Responsible:

Ability to fulfil one’s moral obligations;

it is an ideal of character, a virtue.

Only maturity may imply responsibility.

Accountable:

Being required to answer for one’s actions.

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If our activities have no (serious) implications to others, thenit does not matter whether or not weshould feel responsible towards them or we should be held accountable.

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If simulation has no (serious) implications to others, thenit does not matter whether or notsimulationists should feel responsibletowards them or should be held accountable.

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“What you don’t want done to yourself, don’t do to others.” Confucius (551-479) BC)

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The respect for the rights of others:

is the essence of right conduct. It is also a fundamental concept in civilized societies, essential for the regulation of the social dynamics in order to sustain the civilization.

Also:

No business, how lucrative it is, can be sustained if one looses the trust of the stakeholders.

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The origins for the respect for the rights of others:

Respect for the rights of others

Self-initiated(genuine)

Imposed(emulated)

behavior

responsibility accountability

Origin:

-personal belief

-philosophical(e.g., Zen: altruism)

Origin:

- statelegislation

- societycustoms,peer pressures, regulations,codes of conduct,ethical codes of

conduct

Self-imposedrestriction

Origin:-religion

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Professional societies• Need and often have regulations and codes to

guide and regulate the conduct of their members. • Some professional codes refer only to ethical

duties. • Some other codes cover both ethical and purely

professional issues with or without referring to “ethics” in their title.

• The term “professional ethics” implies ethics and professional conduct.

• Hence, the term “code of professional ethics” is a conveniently short term to denote “code of ethics and professional conduct.”

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Some References for Codes of ethics:

• Center for the Study of Ethics in the ProfessionsIllinois Institute of Technology(in 24 categories): http://www.iit.edu/departments/csep/PublicWWW/codes/codes.html

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http://www.iit.edu/departments/csep/PublicWWW/codes/codes.html

• Agriculture• Animal Breeding and Care• Arts• Business• Communications• Computing and Information

Systems• Construction Trades• Education and Academia• Engineering• Finance• Fraternal and Social Organizations

• Government and Military• Health Care• Industrial• Law and Legal• Management• Media• Other Professions• Real Estate• Religion• Service Organizations• Science• Sports and Athletics• Travel and Transportation

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An additional site is prepared by Ören:http://www.site.uottawa.ca/~oren/links_ethics.htm

A glossary: http://onlineethics.org/glossary.html

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1. Simulation has thousands of applications; and, simulation studies/products can affectpeople as well as the environment in many ways.

Or, what we do can have important consequences! As mature members of a mature profession, we can act proactively to assuming our responsability and accountability.

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2. It is important that at least one, but hopefully all Simulation Societies will provide leadership in urging their members to adopt a Code of Professional Ethics. In this way the members can show the acceptance of their responsibilities and accountabilities.

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3. The 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Society for Modeling and Simulation International (SCS) is a good occasion to formulate and adopt a “Code of Professional Ethics for Simulationists.”Which will hopefully be endorsed by otherModelling and Simulation Societies as well.

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We have Seen:BackgroundRationale





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M&S is computer-based; hence, several aspects of ethical considerations of computerization, software engineering,Internet, and artificial intelligence are also applicable to modelling and simulation.

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For scientific and engineering applications, modelling and simulation entails considerations of codes of ethics in science and engineering.

Modelling and simulation is used extensively in research; hence the principles of responsible conduct in research are applicable to avoid fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism (data, text, and ideas) and other misconduct.

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When modelling and simulation is business, most of the ethical issues in business are also applicable to the “simulation business.”

In defense applications, additional business ethics for defense industry −such as The Defense Industry Initiative − is desirable.

Documents

Rationale for a Code of Professional Ethics for Simulationistsoren/pres/2002-07 D84-Rationale.pdf · Rationale for a Code of Professional Ethics for Simulationists ... • Engineering