Great post as usual, Sam. These are a great start. I like the example you shared from Kate Raworth a lot. In the past, I've referred to the "Modeler's Hippocratic Oath" from the Financial Modelers Manifesto written after the 2008 crash. But its a little bit flowery, and focused more on the risks of opaque models. (https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/sv/oekonomi/ECON4135/h09/undervisningsmateriale/FinancialModelersManifesto.pdf, relevant excerpt below.)
The examples you shared provide better guardrails for the other work. A few years back I read Cenydd Bowles "Future Ethics", and while it didn't provide a "code", it did give some useful tools for ethical practice.
Excerpt of the Modeler's Hippocratic Oath:
"I will remember that I didn't make the world, and it doesn't satisfy my equations.
Though I will use models boldly to estimate value, I will not be overly impressed by mathematics.
I will never sacrifice reality for elegance without explaining why I have done so.
Nor will I give the people who use my model false comfort about its accuracy.
Instead, I will make explicit its assumptions and oversights.
I understand that my work may have enormous effects on society and the economy,
Thanks Ryan, really appreciate you weighing in. The excerpt from the Modeler's Hippocratic Oath is scratching this same itch on trying to center on the set of principles for insights-driven work. You've also reminded me that "Future Ethics" has been on my reading backlog for a while, and I need to move it up in my list.
"I understand that my work may have enormous effects on society and the economy, many of them beyond my comprehension." --> The entire excerpt you shared, but this part in particular, reinforces the need for humility in our work, that also caught my attention in Raworth's last principle. When we're evaluated by the extent of our influence, the notion that there's much we still don't know or can't explain may seem to work against us. Owning that in an authentic way that still promotes career growth is a tough balance.
Great post as usual, Sam. These are a great start. I like the example you shared from Kate Raworth a lot. In the past, I've referred to the "Modeler's Hippocratic Oath" from the Financial Modelers Manifesto written after the 2008 crash. But its a little bit flowery, and focused more on the risks of opaque models. (https://www.uio.no/studier/emner/sv/oekonomi/ECON4135/h09/undervisningsmateriale/FinancialModelersManifesto.pdf, relevant excerpt below.)
The examples you shared provide better guardrails for the other work. A few years back I read Cenydd Bowles "Future Ethics", and while it didn't provide a "code", it did give some useful tools for ethical practice.
Excerpt of the Modeler's Hippocratic Oath:
"I will remember that I didn't make the world, and it doesn't satisfy my equations.
Though I will use models boldly to estimate value, I will not be overly impressed by mathematics.
I will never sacrifice reality for elegance without explaining why I have done so.
Nor will I give the people who use my model false comfort about its accuracy.
Instead, I will make explicit its assumptions and oversights.
I understand that my work may have enormous effects on society and the economy,
many of them beyond my comprehension"
Thanks Ryan, really appreciate you weighing in. The excerpt from the Modeler's Hippocratic Oath is scratching this same itch on trying to center on the set of principles for insights-driven work. You've also reminded me that "Future Ethics" has been on my reading backlog for a while, and I need to move it up in my list.
"I understand that my work may have enormous effects on society and the economy, many of them beyond my comprehension." --> The entire excerpt you shared, but this part in particular, reinforces the need for humility in our work, that also caught my attention in Raworth's last principle. When we're evaluated by the extent of our influence, the notion that there's much we still don't know or can't explain may seem to work against us. Owning that in an authentic way that still promotes career growth is a tough balance.