Objectivity Principle Structurally Compromised for Engineer A in Contractor Engagement
P · Principle
Individual
http://proethica.org/ontology/case/170#Objectivity_Principle_Structurally_Compromised_for_Engineer_A_in_Contractor_Engagement
Properties
Instance of
Applied to
Contractor Adverse Claim Client
Dam failure forensic investigation engagement
Balancing with
Confidentiality Principle
Loyalty
Concrete expression
Engineer A cannot render an objective forensic opinion on dam failure causation for the contractor because the prior government engagement has already shaped Engineer A's technical conclusions and exposed Engineer A to the government's confidential evidentiary and strategic position — making truly independent, objective analysis for the adverse party structurally impossible
Confidence
0.9
Importance
high
Interpretation
Objectivity is not merely a matter of good intentions; where prior engagement has exposed an engineer to one party's confidential information in the same adversarial matter, structural bias is unavoidable regardless of the engineer's subjective intent to be impartial
Invoked by
Engineer A Dam Failure Forensic Investigation Engineer
Tension resolution
The structural impossibility of objectivity in this scenario means the engagement must be declined; the Objectivity principle, combined with the switching sides prohibition, creates a categorical bar
Source Evidence
Source text
Engineer A is retained by the U.S. government to study the causes of a dam failure. Later Engineer A is retained by the contractor on this project, who has filed a claim against the U.S. government for additional compensation.
Text references
Engineer A is retained by the U.S. government to study the causes of a dam failure.
Later Engineer A is retained by the contractor on this project, who has filed a claim against the U.S. government for additional compensation.
TTL
@prefix case170: <http://proethica.org/ontology/case/170#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix proeth: <http://proethica.org/ontology/intermediate#> .
@prefix prov: <http://www.w3.org/ns/prov#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#> .
case170:Objectivity_Principle_Structurally_Compromised_for_Engineer_A_in_Contractor_Engagement a proeth:Objectivity,
owl:NamedIndividual ;
rdfs:label "Objectivity Principle Structurally Compromised for Engineer A in Contractor Engagement" ;
proeth:appliedto "Contractor Adverse Claim Client",
"Dam failure forensic investigation engagement" ;
proeth:balancingwith "Confidentiality Principle",
"Loyalty" ;
proeth:conceptCategory "Principle" ;
proeth:concreteexpression "Engineer A cannot render an objective forensic opinion on dam failure causation for the contractor because the prior government engagement has already shaped Engineer A's technical conclusions and exposed Engineer A to the government's confidential evidentiary and strategic position — making truly independent, objective analysis for the adverse party structurally impossible" ;
proeth:confidence "0.9" ;
proeth:discoveredincase "170" ;
proeth:discoveredinpass "2" ;
proeth:discoveredinsection "facts" ;
proeth:firstdiscoveredat "2026-03-01T21:01:35.040886+00:00" ;
proeth:firstdiscoveredincase "170" ;
proeth:generatedattime "2026-03-01T21:01:35.040886+00:00" ;
proeth:importance "high" ;
proeth:interpretation "Objectivity is not merely a matter of good intentions; where prior engagement has exposed an engineer to one party's confidential information in the same adversarial matter, structural bias is unavoidable regardless of the engineer's subjective intent to be impartial" ;
proeth:invokedby "Engineer A Dam Failure Forensic Investigation Engineer" ;
proeth:principleclass "Objectivity" ;
proeth:sourcetext "Engineer A is retained by the U.S. government to study the causes of a dam failure. Later Engineer A is retained by the contractor on this project, who has filed a claim against the U.S. government for additional compensation." ;
proeth:tensionresolution "The structural impossibility of objectivity in this scenario means the engagement must be declined; the Objectivity principle, combined with the switching sides prohibition, creates a categorical bar" ;
proeth:textreferences "Engineer A is retained by the U.S. government to study the causes of a dam failure.",
"Later Engineer A is retained by the contractor on this project, who has filed a claim against the U.S. government for additional compensation." ;
proeth:wasattributedto "Case 170 Extraction" ;
prov:generatedAtTime "2026-03-01T21:17:58.659384"^^xsd:dateTime ;
prov:wasGeneratedBy "ProEthica Case 170 Extraction" .
Metadata
Extraction details
Discovered in case
170
Discovered in pass
2
Discovered in section
facts
First discovered
2026-03-01T21:01:35.040886+00:00
First case
170
Generated
2026-03-01T21:01:35.040886+00:00
Attributed to
Case 170 Extraction
Generated
2026-03-01T21:17:58.659384
Generated by
ProEthica Case 170 Extraction