DP3

DecisionPoint
http://proethica.org/ontology/cases#DecisionPoint

DP3

Should Engineer C limit any response to the City Administrator to general technical observations only, refraining from specific critical opinions about Engineer B's particular decisions, methods, and professional judgment — and where exactly does the ethical line between permissible general commentary and impermissible specific critique fall?

Engineer C faces a choice between providing specific critical opinions about Engineer B's identified professional decisions versus limiting any response to general technical observations only. This decision point addresses the precise ethical boundary between permissible general commentary — which a knowledgeable engineer may offer — and impermissible specific incumbent critique, which Code Section III.7.a. prohibits. The Incomplete Situational Knowledge Restraint compounds this boundary by establishing that Engineer C lacks the full contextual knowledge necessary to render accurate specific judgments.

Limit response to general technical observations about engineering principles applicable to the type of work at issue, without referencing Engineer B's specific decisions or professional judgment

Answer the City Administrator's specific questions and render critical opinions about Engineer B's particular engineering decisions and professional judgment

Engineer C