Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!ucbvax!mc.lcs.mit.edu!KFL From: KFL@MC.LCS.MIT.EDU ("Keith F. Lynch") Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Re: Resignations (engineering ethics) Message-ID: <[MC.LCS.MIT.EDU].852694.860316.KFL> Date: Sun, 16-Mar-86 23:48:22 EST Article-I.D.: <[MC.LCS.MIT.EDU].852694.860316.KFL> Posted: Sun Mar 16 23:48:22 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 19-Mar-86 00:49:12 EST Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 14 You misunderstand my position. I do not think it is ethical to do anything illegal or immoral. But the SRB engineers were not asked to. There is an enormous difference between being asked to build a concentration camp and disgreeing with one's manager on the safety of something. I don't think, in general, that it is reasonable for an employee of any company to tell the news media that the company's product is unsafe. Not only is he likely to be fired, he is apt to be sued for libel. And rightly so. Unless he has good evidence that his employer is engaged in a criminal conspiracy. I don't think there is any evidence that M-T was. It appears that they are guilty only of poor judgement. ...Keith