UNIT 1

DEFINE PROFESSION
A Profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and who hold
themselves out as, and are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a
widely recognised body of learning derived from research, education and training at a high level,
and who are prepared to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of others.
DEFINE MORALS
Morals are the prevailing standards of behavior that enable people to live cooperatively in
groups. Moral refers to what societies sanction as right and acceptable. Most people tend to act
morally and follow societal guidelines.
Difference between Personal and Professional Ethics
Ethics can vary wildly from place to place, and person to person. There are many kinds of ethics
to categorized and Personal Ethics and Professional Ethics are a major part of it. In this tutorial,
we will be studying personal and professional ethics and the difference between them.
1. Personal Ethics :
Personal Ethics refers to a person’s personal morals and code of conduct. From the very
beginning of a person’s understanding, these ethics are being instilled in the individual by their
parents, family and friends. Without any personal ethics, the life of the human being is
incomplete and shallow. As an example, we can consider an individual’s honesty, openness,
sense of responsibility etc. The person with good personal ethics will automatically show his
moral and virtues while talking to his friends, relatives and elderly people. A person’s personal
ethics are revealed in an exceedingly professional situation through his behaviour.
2. Professional Ethics :
Professional ethics refers to a person’s values and principles that are introduced to an individual
in a professional organization.
Each employee in the organization has to follow these rules and they do not have any choice.
These ethics are very important to import in the professional world as it helps in bring the sense
of disciple into the person’s life and maintain the decorum of the organization. As an example,
transparency, confidentiality, fairness etc fall under the terms of professional ethics.
Personal v/s Professional Ethics :
The major difference between personal and professional ethics is the strictness with which the
individual conform to them. As in personal ethic the values and principles are limited to yourself,
it comes under your decision to follow them or not in certain situation. But in the case of
professional ethics, the principles and rules must be followed by you otherwise it can badly
affect your status and reputation in the organization.
Difference Between Personal and Professional Ethics : 
Personal Ethics Professional Ethics
Rules imposed on the individual by his
Includes your personal Morals and Values. organization.
Learned from family, friends and relatives
since childhood. Learned when become part of corporate world.
Not adhering that this may destroy your
Not conforming that this may hurt others. professional reputation.
Personal needs are satisfied by following Professional needs are satisfied by following
personal ethics. professional ethics.
Example : Openess, Honesty, Friendliness, Example : Abiding by the law, Industry
Respect for Others, Loyalty, Honesty, Standards, Worker Treatment, Confidentiality,
Integrity. Worker Safety.

Difference Between Morals and Ethics

BASIS FOR
MORALS ETHICS
COMPARISON
Meaning Morals are the beliefs of the Ethics are the guiding principles which
individual or group as to what is help the individual or group to decide
right or wrong. what is good or bad.
What is it? General principles set by group Response to a specific situation
Root word Mos which means custom Ethikos which means character
Governed By Social and cultural norms Individual or Legal and Professional
norms
Deals with Principles of right and wrong Right and wrong conduct
Applicability in No Yes
Business
Consistency Morals may differ from society to Ethics are generally uniform.
society and culture to culture.
Expression Morals are expressed in the form Ethics are abstract.
of general rules and statements.
Freedom to think and No Yes
choose

ETHICS AND SCIENCE

Ethics is an important consideration in science. Scientific investigations must be guided by what
is right and what is wrong. That's where ethical rules come in. They help ensure that science is
done safely and that scientific knowledge is reliable
TYPES OF ETHICS:
Four Facets of Ethics
The many dimensions of studying ethics enable arriving at ethical conclusions in difficult
situations. These many approaches to ethics investigate how ethical conduct is determined in a
given context. Humans are presented with circumstances in which their actions may result in
opposing and maybe equally disagreeable alternatives. There are four major dimensions of
ethics: 
 Normative or Prescriptive Ethics 
 Descriptive Ethics 
 Meta-ethics
 Applied Ethics
Let us take each in detail one by one:
Meta-Ethics
Meta-ethics is concerned with the problems that determine whether a given subject or item is
morally right or morally wrong. It inquires about our comprehension– how we perceive
whether a decision, action, or purpose is good or negative. 
 It focuses on the meaning of ethical concepts in general, rather than the applied question
of ‘what should be done in a specific situation?’ It is not concerned with whether an
action is right or wrong; rather, it is concerned with the fairness and evilness of morality
itself. Naturalism, non-naturalism, and prescriptivism are the three main theories in meta-
ethics.
 Philosophers have been attempting to provide a precise account of meta-ethics since
antiquity. For example, Aristotle proposed that our judgement of good and evil is
founded on our grasp of other subjects and the relative ethical wisdom that we passively
obtain from it. 
 Aristotle also stated that acculturation has a significant impact on our thoughts and
conceptions about a subject. When two or more cultures coexist in a geographical
location, the diverse characteristics of each culture are absorbed into their everyday lives,
broadening their knowledge span and influencing their understanding of good and evil.
 Modern philosophers are divided on meta-ethics. There are two schools of thought:
 Non- Cognitivism– This abstract ideology believes that when we label anything
as right or wrong based on our moral knowledge, our judgement is neither true
nor untrue. Non-cognitivists are non-realists because they do not believe that a
specific ontology is required for meta-ethics
  Cognitivism– This school of thought emphasises the role of facts and numbers
in determining moral good and wrong. Cognitivist are realists because they
explain what kinds of properties or states are relevant to this subject, what values
they possess and why they guide and motivate one’s decisions and actions.
Normative or Prescriptive Ethics
It is the study of ethical beliefs that govern how individuals should act and behave in society.
Furthermore, it investigates norms for the righteousness and wrongfulness of the conduct. If
someone violates set norms, there are grounds for punishment as well as an explanation for doing
so. The following are some of the dimensions of normative ethics:
1. Deontology Ethics: It contends that the ideal ethical action protects and respects the
moral rights of those impacted. The fundamental assumption is that persons have
dignity as a result of their human nature or free choice. Based on such dignity, people
have the right to be recognised as goals in themselves, rather than just as means to other
objectives. As a result, means are more essential than aims. The following are some
deontological theories:
 Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative: Universality and Principle of
reciprocity– By universality, Kant means that a moral rule must be applied to
all individuals (for example, Liberty, Basic Human Rights of Life and Property),
and by reciprocity, he meant “do as you would be done by” (for example, aid
someone in need if you wish to be helped in the event of hardship).
 Moral absolutism– According to this viewpoint, there exist absolute standards
against which moral questions may be examined to establish the rightness and
wrongness of actions regardless of circumstances. For example, if telling a lie is
immoral, then the idea of an Ethical lie is irrelevant in terms of moral constraints.
 Contractarianism- According to this viewpoint, moral rules are those that
are acceptable to all members of society, but they must be objective when
analysing their moral value. For instance, consider John Rawls’ Veil of Ignorance and
Thomas Hobbes’ Social Contract.
 Natural rights theory- This viewpoint believes in the existence of absolute inherent
rights that are bestowed upon humans just by their humanity. John Locke and Thomas
Aquinas (natural right theory) are two examples (Life, liberty and property rights being
unalienable).
 Divine Command theory- It claims that behaviour is justified if God has ordained that it
is right. According to this idea, the rightness of any action is determined by the fact that it
is undertaken as it is a responsibility, not out of any potential benefits resulting from that
activity.
 1. Virtue Ethics: Ethical behaviours should be compatible with certain ideal virtues that
allow for the complete development of our humanity. These virtues are dispositions and
habits that enable us to behave in accordance with our highest potential and on
behalf of attribute values such as truth, honesty, bravery, compassion, and so on. Plato,
who defined justice and other virtues as soul harmony, established the groundwork for it. 
According to Plato, a brave man can be brave even if he is never given the opportunity to
demonstrate it. Aristotle defines virtue as the middle ground between two vices, thus generosity
between miserliness and prodigality. Furthermore, he claims for virtue is a habit, implying that
someone who lacks the right virtue but has internal dispositions can acquire it gradually via
practice. The key proponents of virtue ethics were Plato, Aristotle, and Thomas Aquinas.
1. Egalitarianism Approach- (Approach to Fairness, Justice, and Equality)-
Egalitarianism asserts that all advantages and obligations should be divided
using the following: “Every person should be assigned a precisely equal share of
society’s benefits and burdens.” Today, we utilise this concept to support
affirmative action, such as India’s reservation system for disadvantaged sectors of
society.
2. Teleological Ethics- As per this viewpoint, the morality of an act is determined
by the consequence of that action. It indicates that morally right activity will
result in a good outcome, whereas morally wrong conduct will result in a terrible
end. In this viewpoint, the results are more essential than the methods (process)
and hence “ends justify the means“. They can be:
 Altruism– It is good to live for others rather than for oneself.
 Asceticism– It entails abstaining from egoistic pleasures to pursue a spiritual aim.
 Egoism– The best action/decision is one that maximises one’s own good.
 Consequentialist Libertarianism- Liberty should be maximised.
 Hedonism- It states that the best action/decision is one that maximises pleasure.
 Intellectualism– The ideal action/decision advances knowledge the most.
 Welfarism– The ideal action/decision enhances economic well-being the most.
 Utilitarianism- The best action/decision is one that results in the greatest amount of
happiness for the largest number of people.
 Situation Ethics- The best action/decision is the one that results in the greatest amount of
love.
Descriptive Ethics
This dimension of ethics is on the less intellectual end of the ethical spectrum. It gathers
knowledge on how people live, observes patterns of events that arise in their surroundings, and
draws broad judgments based on these observations.
It is an empirical study of people’s moral ideas based on law and conventions. It investigates the
history and evolution of Ethics and provides documentation of particular taboos, norms, or
conventions. Descriptive Ethics may be seen in Kohlberg’s idea of moral awareness.
By providing a value-free viewpoint on ethics, descriptive ethics distinguishes itself as a part of
social science rather than human morality. Descriptive ethics does not begin with preconceived
theories and assumptions but rather prefers to extensively study the subject’s existing facts and
examples, making observations of actual decisions made by moral actors in a practical world.
The study of descriptive ethics encompasses a wide range of examinations, including ethical
codes that establish rules and regulations for society, informal theories on etiquette, legal and
arbitration practices, and finally, observing choices made by ordinary people without the support
or advice of a specialist.
Applied Ethics
This is the theme of ethics that is used in everyday life in a variety of domains of work and
living. It is concerned with the philosophical investigation of specific moral dilemmas in private
and public life including moral judgements. It uses the conceptual tools of meta-ethics and
normative ethics to investigate specific difficult subjects such as abortion, infanticide, animal
rights, environmental concerns, homosexuality, capital punishment, nuclear weapons and so on.
Engineering ethics, bioethics, geoethics, military ethics, public services ethics, and corporate
ethics are some frequent topics of specialised applied ethics. Several particular concerns have
been raised within this area that demands a philosophical perspective rather than technical
interpretation to satisfy the morality of human nature.
Normative Principles in Applied Ethics – These are the most widely utilised principles in the
field of applied ethics. Here are a few examples:
Social benefit– recognise the extent to which activity has a positive impact on society.
Personal benefit– recognise the amount to which activity has a positive impact on the individual
in the issue.
Principle of paternalism– assisting others in achieving their best interests when they are unable to
do it themselves.
Principle of harm– do not cause harm to others.
Principle of benevolence– help families in need.
Principle of lawfulness– one should not break the law.
Principle of honesty– do not deceive people
Principle of justice– recognise a person’s right to due process, fair compensation for damage
done and equitable sharing of benefits.
Principle of autonomy– recognises a person’s freedom over his activities or physical body.
Rights- Recognise a person’s rights to life, information, privacy, freedom of speech and safety.
The first two principles – personal advantage and societal benefit – are consequentialist in the
sense that they are concerned with the results of an action, whereas the principles of kindness,
paternalism and damage are duty-based. Moral rights underpin the ideals of autonomy, fairness,
and diverse rights.
The type of reaction that an ordinary human being may give to the stimulus of a scenario or a job
assigned is strongly related to the set of ideas that resides in their thoughts. And ideologies are
nothing more than the dissemination of our ethical principles. Regardless of how far we have
progressed, our grasp of ethics and its dimensions remains hazy. Because of the abstract nature
of this subject, it is difficult to analyse or assign a specific definition. A curious mind, on the
other hand, is constantly eager to answer questions that are posed to it.
UNIT 2
Engineering Ethics is the activity and discipline aimed at
(a) understanding the moral values that ought to guide engineering profession or practice,
(b) resolving moral issues in engineering, and
(c) justifying the moral judgments in engineering. It deals with set of moral problems and issues
connected with engineering.
Engineering ethics is defined by the codes and standards of conduct endorsed by engineering
(professional) societies with respect to the particular set of beliefs, attitudes and habits displayed
by the individual or group. Another important goal of engineering ethics is the discovery of the
set of justified moral principles of obligation, rights and ideals that ought to be endorsed by the
engineers and apply them to concrete situations. Engineering is the largest profession and the
decisions and actions of engineers affect all of us in almost all areas of our lives, namely public
safety, health, and welfare.

Micro-ethics: “concerned with individuals and the internal relations of the engineering
profession”
Macro-ethics: “concerned with the collective, social responsibility of the engineering profession
and societal decisions about technology”
Macro-ethics tends to emphasise principles, universal claims and normative rules, while micro-
ethics is context-specific and local, and acknowledges the role of modalities of communication
and decision-making that go beyond rational argumentation
Types of enquiry
Refer the ppt