Brief overview of the importance and types of ethics in engineering

1. ENGINEERING ETHICS
LECTURE -1-

2. • The work of engineers can affect public health and
safety and can influence business practices and even
politics.

3. ATTRIBUTES OF A PROFESSION
1. Work requiring sophisticated skills, the use of judgment, and the
exercise of discretion. It is not a routine.
2. Requires extensive formal education, and no simply practical training
3. Yields significant public good results
4. Special societies or organizations that members of the profession
control to set standards for admission to the profession, standards of
conduct for members …

4. JUDGMENT AND DISCRETION
• “Judgment” refers to making significant decisions based on formal
training and experience.
• “Discretion” can have two different meanings.
– Being discrete in the performance of one’s duties by keeping
information about customers, clients, and patients confidential.
– Discretion involves the ability to make decisions autonomously. This
definition is similar in many ways to that of the term “judgment”.

5. WHAT IS ETHICS?
• Ethics is synonymous with morality
• These values are either:
1) Required (obligatory) – respect for life
2) Permissible (allowed) – killing in self-defense
3) Desirable (a wanted good) – poverty
reduction
4) Unacceptable (bad) – betrayal, cheating

6. PROHIBITIVE ETHICS VS. ASPIRATIONAL ETHICS
• Prohibitive ethics is that part of ethics that focuses on what one SHOULD
NOT do. Aspirational ethics, however, focuses on what one SHOULD do.
• Much of ethics focuses on what one should NOT do. It is easier to enforce
rules that specify what is prohibited

7. PERSONAL VS. PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
• Personal ethics deals with how we treat each other in our day-to-day
lives.
• Professional ethics often involves choices on an organizational level
rather than a personal level.

8. WHY STUDY ETHICS?
• Just being a good person does not mean you are well prepared for the
ethical challenges you will face during your career.
• Studying ethics:
- can be complicated and controversial.
- strengthens your ability to reason clearly about moral questions.
- helps to build a habit of becoming morally concerned about the needs
and rights of others

9. PRACTICAL SKILLS THAT WILL HELP IN IMPROVING THE
ABILITY TO REFLECT CAREFULLY ON MORAL ISSUES
• 1. Moral Awareness: recognizing a problem
• 2. Moral Reasoning: making clear, logical, and convincing arguments
• 3. Moral Coherence: being consistent in your moral thinking/behavior
• 4. Moral Resolve: discerning responses to solution
• 5. Respect for Persons: having concern for others
• 6. Tolerance of Diversity: tolerating other moral perspectives
• 7. Integrity: having moral consistency between career and personal life

10. ETHICS AND THE LAW
• Many things that are legal could be considered unethical.
• Just because something is illegal doesn’t mean that it is unethical.

11. NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS
FUNDAMENTAL CANONS
• Engineers, in the fulfilment 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 objectively and truthfully
4. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees
5. Avoid deceptive acts
6. Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully to enhance the honor,
reputation, and usefulness of the profession.

12. MORAL AUTONOMY
• Moral Autonomy: the ability to think critically and independently about
moral issues and to apply this moral thinking to situations that arise in
the course of professional engineering practice.

13. CASE STUDY -1-
• Engineer Tom Benton is conferring with a vendor who is promoting a
certain type of valve for the project Tom's company is working on.
Knowing that Tom is an avid golfer, the vendor suggests that they discuss
matters further at a private country club that Tom has long wanted an
opportunity to play. The vendor is a member and invites Tom to be his
guest.
 SHOULD TOM ACCEPT THE OFFER?

14. SOLUTION TO CASE STUDY -1-
From an engineering ethics standpoint, Tom should not accept the vendor's
invitation to a private country club. Engineers are expected to maintain a
professional distance from vendors to ensure that decisions are based on
technical considerations rather than personal relationships. Tom should
decline the invitation and suggest discussing matters in a more neutral and
professional setting.

15. CASE STUDY -2-
• Environmental Engineer Mary Andrews discovers that her plant is discharging a
substance into a local river that, although not presently regulated by the
government, causes her some concern. She decides to do some reading about the
substance and finds that some studies suggest it is a carcinogen. As an engineer,
she believes she must protect the public, but she also wants to be a loyal
employee. Although the substance can be removed, it will likely be somewhat
expensive to do so. Her supervisor says, “Forget about it until the government
makes us do something. Then all the other plants will have to spend money too,
and we won't be at a competitive disadvantage.”
 WHAT SHOULD MARY DO?

16. SOLUTION TO CASE STUDY -2-
• To adhere to ethical principles, she should communicate her concerns,
explore cost-effective solutions, and, if necessary, consider whistleblowing
to protect public well-being. Ethical responsibilities must prevail over
financial considerations in such situations. (Remember canon number
one)