In “The Code of Conduct” article, the one about Python’s new code of conduct in 2012, Jesse Noller gives us an insight into what he sees as the meaning of “community.” He states, “Community is a broad term. In the case in which I refer to it – I refer to is as the constantly growing and evolving and diversification of the big-P Python community.” That means community is manifested within the new, different people that join and add to the body of Python users. I will now elaborate upon “diversification,” and what “different”/”diverse” really means. Every person is diverse relative to every other person in some way, with some ways being more noticeable than others. For example, someone with a different background or viewpoint from another may bring new, diverse ideas to the table. An obvious tell-tale of diversity is those with significantly different history’s or options in life. We can see that everyone was born into different social realities because of how the course of history has gone. Also, we can see that some people were born with disabilities, which also count as diverse qualities. These qualities should be cherished no matter how different one is from you, because at the core of every human person is their dignity to be able to live a life they choose; think: what if you were born different?
It is everyone’s moral obligation to work for the good of each other. Not only is this a moral matter, but it is logical that if we all work together, we will better the world faster and live our lives with more worth and value. Since we spend the majority of our time working, ethical practices should be respected and upheld at every company, because working can be the most fruitful part of our being. There are codes of conduct for almost every business and professionals should read these and uphold the values that are true to their code of conduct. There are also overlying ethical rules for specific working fields, for example the ACM Code of Ethics. This relates moral obligation to the world of computing and can be very helpful to reference while working towards your goals where there will almost always be grey area. The ACM Code of Ethics also helps professionals make morally sound choices in the workplace among colleagues. This keeps an environment of positive attitudes and ensures professionals are not harmful to each other, in their work, or to another’s work. In a workplace, respecting everyone’s opinions and work equally is vital for the best work to be composed.
I believe that the tech-world is rapidly growing and becoming more inclusive, but we have to remind ourselves of the ACM Code of Ethics policy: “3.3 Manage personnel and resources to enhance the quality of working life.” This calls for leaders to go out of their way to “enhance, not degrade, the quality of working life” for all people in a company. Furthermore it states that “Leaders should consider the personal and professional development, accessibility requirements, physical safety, psychological well-being, and human dignity of all workers.” With this inclusion that is far more powerful that “tolerance” of diverse people, leaders can continue to bring all kinds of people to their full potential.
Besides only leaders setting an example, it is every Computer Scientist’s duty to work for the good of one another to make sure that there is less harm in the most influential and fastest-growing profession. This does not just mean that a computer scientist has to simply tolerate other people and their ideas, but they should make an effort to include people very different from them.
Also, this inclusion should not be only within a company, but the ACM Code of Ethics states that “all people are stakeholders in computing,” therefore software should be made with the most disabled or unfortunate in mind so that even they can use it.
It is each person’s duty to include all others in what they desire to be included in. This is so that everyone has the equal opportunity to learn and grow and together make the world a better place. Excluding groups of people because of their color, gender or different abilities is pointless because these people can be the source of diverse and creative ideas that can be brought together to benefit even those trying to exclude them. Software made for diversity, like an app developed in every different language, will reach more people and could influence them to better the world too. Good begets good.
In my personal experience, the good in my life has directed me towards wanted to help others as a passion, and service as a direction. I feel that the people who have included, not just tolerated, me have steered me to want to do great things throughout my life. I am blessed as a woman to have been brought up with many mentors and cheerleaders eagerly following and applauding my progress in STEM. I never have felt that I was being steered away from choosing a challenging major or doing the most difficult projects, rather, I have felt greatly encouraged. Now, I take that encouragement and give it back to anyone who seems in need of it. Whether it be a freshman who cannot choose their major, to a junior in need of an internship, but is having trouble getting one because of their color or Visas, I try to give my all. This is because of the ethics I honor and the people who brought me up. I am Catholic so I have always been told to respect the human dignity of each person, and to love them unconditionally. I believe any computer scientist like me could and should apply Catholic Social teaching to their projects, work-life, colleagues and themselves. When we all work together for the higher Good, we come out with better results and fulfill ourselves at the same time. Thus, ethics in computing should not just be a recommendation on how to act, but rather a ruling force of moral life practices that we treat as obligatory until they are ingrained in our being.
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