“Traditional engineering pursuits are clinging to the concept that engineering involves creation of tangible, durable objects”
No.
Engineers design. They ensure that proper standards and codes as required are implemented properly.
A design is not necessarily a tangible durable object.
The implication here is government (codes)
Most I know concentrate on the basics; ie. strength and materials. Their skills are tested in the market place, not the legislature.
Most software engineers today simply define their work product as programming. Yes there are standards, but they only usually apply to the web/browser world or in the use of programming tools for the various languages. Conventions in *nix don't play well in C++.