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Unit 1 Engineering Ethics

Engineering ethics aims to define proper conduct for engineers in their work. It is important because engineers' decisions can impact many people. There are various approaches to engineering ethics, including utilitarianism which considers consequences, duty ethics which focuses on duties, and rights ethics which prevents violating others' rights. The codes of ethics for engineering outline fundamental canons like prioritizing public safety and acting competently, truthfully, and lawfully to uphold the reputation of the profession.

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67 views

Unit 1 Engineering Ethics

Engineering ethics aims to define proper conduct for engineers in their work. It is important because engineers' decisions can impact many people. There are various approaches to engineering ethics, including utilitarianism which considers consequences, duty ethics which focuses on duties, and rights ethics which prevents violating others' rights. The codes of ethics for engineering outline fundamental canons like prioritizing public safety and acting competently, truthfully, and lawfully to uphold the reputation of the profession.

Uploaded by

Xaundrae McDonald
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Engineering

Tools

UNIT # 3 Engineering Ethics

Prepared by: Jan-Cherie Campbell-Fraser


Outlines
 What is Ethics
 Engineering Ethics
 Moral Foundation of Engineering Ethics
 Framework of Engineering Ethics
 Codes of Ethics
What is Ethics

 Ethics is the study of the morality of human


actions

 Science of determining values in human conduct


and of deciding what out to be done in different
circumstances/situations.
Engineering Ethics
This is the attempt by professional
engineers to define proper courses of
actions when dealing with;
• Each other
• Clients and Employees
• General Public
Engineering Ethics
 Professionals have specialized knowledge that is
superior to clients employers and the general public.

 With this knowledge, a responsible and honest


engineer can be a very useful member of society

 Conversely, irresponsibility can weaken the


confidence of the public in the engineering
profession and even a dangerous member of society
Engineering Ethics
 Engineering ethics is young in comparison to
legal/medical ethics

 Engineering is the Largest of the learnt


profession and affect all of us in most aspect of
our lives

 Decision of a doctor or lawyer affects one


person at a time but a engineer's judgement
affects hundreds or thousands all at once.
Moral Foundation of Eng. Ethics

 Engineering ethics is the study of moral issues and


decision

 Answers question about conduct and behavior that is


morally correct

Moral Foundations

 Kohlberg suggests one approaches moral decision from


three main levels of moral cognitive development.
Moral Foundation of Eng. Ethics
 The Pre-conventional Level (most primitive)
 In which proper conduct is regarded as what
directly benefits oneself.

At this level persons are motivated primarily


by:
 Unquestioning submission to power
 Desire to avoid punishment
 Desire to satisfy their own needs
Moral Foundation of Eng. Ethics
 The Conventional Level
 The Individual accepts norms of one's family,
group or society as the standard of morality

At this level persons are motivated:


 Desire to please others
 To conform to the expectation of the social
unit rather than on self interest
Moral Foundation of Eng. Ethics
 The Post-Conventional Level
 The Individual is motivated by what is morally
reasonable for their own sake without regard to
self interest or social conventions.

Such Persons are morally autonomous


because,
 They think for themselves
 Do not respond to ulterior motives
 Do not assume that group customs are always right.
Moral Foundation of Eng. Ethics
Moral Foundations Cont'd

Martin & Schinzinger describes 4 types of moral theories


that answer the question "What makes certain action
morally right and others morally wrong?"

1.Utilitarianism - this theory considers the good and bad


consequences of an action and seeks to maximize the utility,
defined as the balance of good over bad consequences
Moral Foundation of Eng. Ethics

1. Duty Ethics - this theory maintains that there are duties


to perform even though the results may not produce the
most good. Eg. To be fair , to be honest, etc

2. Rights Ethics - under this theory, an action is morally


right if it does not violate the right of others

3. Virtue Ethics - this theory regards an action right if it


supports good character traits and wrong if it manifest
bad traits
Case
An influential County Executive in Maryland had the
authority to award contracts for public works
projects to engineering firms. In exercising that
authority he participated in a lucrative kickback
scheme. Two consulting engineers were given
special consideration in receiving contracts for
public works projects so long as they made secret
payments to the County Executive of 5 percent of
their fees.

Why was it wrong for the engineers to make secret


payment to the executive in return for preferential
awards of contracts?
Framework of Eng. Ethics
• Engineer's primary responsibility is to place safety
of the public above all else.

• Must be sensitive to and strive to avoid the


potential for harm, but, given a choice, should opt
for doing good.

• As the challenge continues to solve problems it


must be done without jeopardizing the safety of the
users of the technology
Functions of an Engineer
• The codes of ethics for engineering was published
by National Society of Professional engineers
(NSPE). It Consists of:

1. Preamble

2. 6 Fundamental Cannons

3. 5 Rule of Practice

4. 9 Professional Obligations

(See handout)
Fundamental Canons
Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall:

1. Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.

2. Perform services only in areas of their competence.

3. Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful


manner.

4. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.

5. Avoid deceptive acts.

6. Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and


lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and
usefulness of the profession.

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