Wasser Task Refusal Proportionality Assessment
O · Obligation
Individual
http://proethica.org/ontology/case/13#Wasser_Task_Refusal_Proportionality_Assessment
Properties
Instance of
EngineerInternTaskRefusalProportionalityObligation
http://proethica.org/ontology/intermediate#EngineerInternTaskRefusalProportionalityObligation
Case context
Wasser refused outright to sketch the irrigation system details and simultaneously issued a formal memorandum; the ethical basis (NSPE III.2.d) uses 'encouraged' language rather than mandatory prohibition, raising the question of whether outright refusal was proportionate to the normative weight of the obligation.
Compliance status
partial
Confidence
0.8
Importance
medium
Obligated party
Engineer Intern Wasser
Obligation statement
Engineer Intern Wasser was obligated to calibrate the form and intensity of their objection proportionately to the normative weight of the sustainability concern — recognizing that NSPE III.2.d uses 'encouraged' rather than mandatory language — and to communicate concerns formally while remaining available to perform the task if Engineer Jaylani and the client made an informed decision to proceed, rather than issuing an outright refusal as the primary response.
Temporal scope
At the time of assignment of the irrigation sketching task
Relationships
competesWith
Wasser Environmental Risk Escalation Water Table Hydrogeological Study, Wasser Sustainable Development Advocacy Communication to Jaylani
defeasibleUnder
Wasser Mandatory vs Encouraged Code Provision Tension, Wasser Subordinate Task Refusal on Sustainability Grounds
derivedFromPrinciple
Sustainable Development Advocacy Invoked By Wasser Via Formal Memorandum
Source Evidence
Source text
Wasser refuses to perform the task
Text references
In a formal memorandum to Jaylani, Wasser argues the proposed lawn irrigation system is not consistent with several United Nations sustainable development goals
Wasser points to NSPE Code of Ethics Professional Obligation III.2.d, 'Engineers are encouraged to adhere to the principles of sustainable development'
Wasser refuses to perform the task
TTL
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@prefix proeth: <http://proethica.org/ontology/intermediate#> .
@prefix proeth-core: <http://proethica.org/ontology/core#> .
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case13:Wasser_Task_Refusal_Proportionality_Assessment a proeth:EngineerInternTaskRefusalProportionalityObligation,
owl:NamedIndividual ;
rdfs:label "Wasser Task Refusal Proportionality Assessment" ;
proeth-core:competesWith case13:Wasser_Environmental_Risk_Escalation_Water_Table_Hydrogeological_Study,
case13:Wasser_Sustainable_Development_Advocacy_Communication_to_Jaylani ;
proeth-core:defeasibleUnder case13:Wasser_Mandatory_vs_Encouraged_Code_Provision_Tension,
case13:Wasser_Subordinate_Task_Refusal_on_Sustainability_Grounds ;
proeth:casecontext "Wasser refused outright to sketch the irrigation system details and simultaneously issued a formal memorandum; the ethical basis (NSPE III.2.d) uses 'encouraged' language rather than mandatory prohibition, raising the question of whether outright refusal was proportionate to the normative weight of the obligation." ;
proeth:compliancestatus "partial" ;
proeth:conceptCategory "Obligation" ;
proeth:confidence "0.8" ;
proeth:derivedFromPrinciple case13:Sustainable_Development_Advocacy_Invoked_By_Wasser_Via_Formal_Memorandum ;
proeth:discoveredincase "13" ;
proeth:discoveredinpass "2" ;
proeth:discoveredinsection "facts" ;
proeth:firstdiscoveredat "2026-02-25T00:56:04.058400+00:00" ;
proeth:firstdiscoveredincase "13" ;
proeth:generatedattime "2026-02-25T00:56:04.058400+00:00" ;
proeth:importance "medium" ;
proeth:obligatedparty "Engineer Intern Wasser" ;
proeth:obligationclass "Engineer Intern Task Refusal Proportionality Obligation" ;
proeth:obligationstatement "Engineer Intern Wasser was obligated to calibrate the form and intensity of their objection proportionately to the normative weight of the sustainability concern — recognizing that NSPE III.2.d uses 'encouraged' rather than mandatory language — and to communicate concerns formally while remaining available to perform the task if Engineer Jaylani and the client made an informed decision to proceed, rather than issuing an outright refusal as the primary response." ;
proeth:sourcetext "Wasser refuses to perform the task" ;
proeth:temporalscope "At the time of assignment of the irrigation sketching task" ;
proeth:textreferences "In a formal memorandum to Jaylani, Wasser argues the proposed lawn irrigation system is not consistent with several United Nations sustainable development goals",
"Wasser points to NSPE Code of Ethics Professional Obligation III.2.d, 'Engineers are encouraged to adhere to the principles of sustainable development'",
"Wasser refuses to perform the task" ;
proeth:wasattributedto "Case 13 Extraction" ;
prov:generatedAtTime "2026-02-25T01:11:40.629840"^^xsd:dateTime ;
prov:wasGeneratedBy "ProEthica Case 13 Extraction" .
Metadata
Extraction details
Discovered in case
13
Discovered in pass
2
Discovered in section
facts
First discovered
2026-02-25T00:56:04.058400+00:00
First case
13
Generated
2026-02-25T00:56:04.058400+00:00
Attributed to
Case 13 Extraction
Generated
2026-02-25T01:11:40.629840
Generated by
ProEthica Case 13 Extraction