Is it ethical for a Duke engineer – who could feasibly contribute in many ways to society and solve humanity’s biggest problems – to instead go to Wall Street purely for financial gains?
Money drives things. It drives markets, it drives development, and it drives people – even people with good motives and tons of potential. It would be a glorious thing if Duke engineers could take the skills they’ve learned here and use them in benevolent quests to better the world, without ever having to consider the yoke of financial pragmatism. But realistically, that is not the case. Pratt students graduate with more than a comprehensive knowledge of engineering; they come away knowing they are able to get such a first class education because of money. Duke’s prestigious programs wouldn’t operate in the same way without the financial backing they currently receive. You can’t construe a Duke education without noting the hefty tuition that makes it possible. Financial aid and scholarships alleviate some of that burden; but financial aid doesn’t cover life post graduation.
Engineers can dream big here at Duke, and the school’s various funds will facilitate their projects and ideas. They can feasibly use their skills to embark on a quest to change the world, via DukeEngage projects or service-learning courses, or by taking advantage of grant money. But once graduation looms around the corner, financial practicality casts its shadow over those quests. Working in investment banking will be lucrative. They will be able to live comfortably, raise a family, meet the high expectations held to them with an illustrious career on Wall Street, and go about life without having to worry too much about their own finances. They won’t be bettering humanity though.
It’s not that going to Wall Street is unethical. It’s just a trade off: benevolence for pragmatism.
The Duke Ethicist is a project of the Honor Council which responds to ethical questions posed by the Duke community. Our purpose is to provide a medium through which students may anonymously seek advice or spark dialogue. Got a question? Send it to dukeethicist@gmail.com, and look out for a response on our blog.
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