PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND PRACTICES - COLUMN 176
want you to do? Conformity bias: to what extent are you willing to believe or go along with actions that agree with your general beliefs. What questionable things are you doing because everyone else is? Overconfidence including the Lake Woebegone assertion that all chil- dren are above average is another social and organizational pressure. Are your driving or professional abilities truly above average? Is your moral behavior truly above average?
Cognitive biases include how an issue is framed or what its focus is. The prob- lems at Enron arose from a constant focus on Enron’s stock price. The space shuttle Challenger explosion resulted from a top down focus on getting the mission off and putting a teacher in space thus removing focus from the engineering question of rubber O-ring elasticity and low temperatures. The slippery slope that leads from increas- ingly routine acceptance of minor ethical lapses gradually leading to less minor and even major ethical lapses. Because of self-serving biases, we tend to conflate what is good for us with what is good for everyone. We get bonuses for good perfor- mance (how is performance measured?) It is hard to admit one’s mistakes.
Situational factors include time pres- sure. We’ve got to get this report out now! There is no more time for check- ing things. Activities that are clearly
transparent to others are more likely to promote ethical behavior than those that are not (except in the “everyone does it” situations). Consider the cultural bias against whistle blowers. We all learned not to tattle tale in the sandbox.
In summary, Prentice urges us to con- stantly be alert to possible ethical issues. Prentice’s webinar can be viewed at
https://geo-search.com/training-videos/ webinar-videos/.
US Geoheritage efforts
The eighth fundamental value of geoeth- ics is “Enhancing geoheritage, which brings together scientific and cultural factors that have intrinsic social and economic value, to strengthen the sense of belonging of people for their environ- ment.”2
“Geoheritage” is a generic but descriptive term applied to sites or areas of geologic features with significant scientific, educational, cultural, and/or aesthetic value. Scientifically and educationally significant geoheritage sites include those with textbook geologic features and landscapes, distinctive rock or mineral types, unique or unusual fossils, or other geologic characteris- tics that are significant to education and research. Culturally significant geoheritage sites are places where geologic features or landscapes
played a role in cultural or histori- cal events. Aesthetically significant geoheritage sites include landscapes that are visually appealing because of their geologic features or pro- cesses. Many geoheritage sites are tourist destinations that provide local and regional economic benefits. (Rationale for the Geological Society of America’s Position Statement on Geoheritage)
This past fall America’s Geoheritage Workshop II: Identifying, Developing, and Preserving America’s Natural Legacy presented a series of webinars on geoheritage issues. The America’s Geoheritage Workshop is organized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Board on International Scientific Organizations- U.S. National Committee for Geological Sciences and is sponsored by AASG, AGI, GSA, NAGT, NESTA, NPS, & USGS and is supported by NSF. America’s Geoheritage Initiative 2020-2021 ”will explore possible approaches to systemat- ically identify, standardize, coordinate, and promote geoheritage sites across America, and help build a vibrant U.S. geoheritage community that can effec- tively reach out to the full range of stake- holders who may be interested in using, protecting, and enjoying America’s com- mon geological heritage now and in the future.”
2. Di Capua, G., Peppoloni, S., and Bobrowsky, P.T., 2017, The Cape Town Statement on Geoethics: Annals of Geophysics, Vol. 60, Fast Track 7, doi: 10.4401/ag-7553.
Geologic Ethics & Professional
Practices is available on CD This CD is a collection of articles, columns, letters to the editor, and other material addressing professional ethics and general issues of professional geologic practice that were printed in The Professional Geologist. It includes an electronic version of the now out-of-print Geologic Ethics and Professional Practices 1987-1997, AIPG Reprint Series #1. The intent of this CD is collec- tion of this material in a single place so that the issues and questions raised by the material may be more conveniently studied. The intended ‘students’ of this CD include everyone interested in the topic, from the new student of geology to professors emeritus, working geologists, retired geologists, and those interested in the geologic profession.
AIPG members will be able to update their copy of this CD by regularly downloading the pe&p index.xls file from the
www.aipg.org under “Ethics” and by downloading the electronic version of The Professional Geologist from the mem- bers only area of the AIPG website. The cost of the CD is $25 for members, $35 for non-members, $15 for student members and $18 for non-member students, plus shipping and handling. To order go to
www.aipg.org.
38 TPG •
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www.aipg.org
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