Ethics in engineering

P. Nyambi
Ethics and professionalism
• Engineers create products and processes to improve food production,
shelter, energy, communication, transportation, health, and
protection against natural calamities—and to enhance the
convenience and beauty of our everyday lives.
• Most technology, however, has double implications: As it creates
benefits it raises new moral challenges.
• Very often technological development is double-edged, morally
ambiguous: As engineering projects create new possibilities they also
generate new dangers.
SCOPE OF ENGINEERING ETHICS
• 1. Engineering projects are social experiments that generate both new possibilities and risks, and
engineers share responsibility for creating benefits, preventing harm, and pointing out dangers.
• 2. Moral values permeate all aspects of technological development, and hence ethics and
excellence in engineering go together.
• 3. Personal meaning and commitments matter in engineering ethics, along with principles of
responsibility that are stated in codes of ethics and are incumbent on all engineers.
• 4. Promoting responsible conduct and advocating good works is even more important than
punishing wrongdoing.
• 5. Ethical dilemmas arise in engineering, as elsewhere, because moral values are myriad and can
conflict.
• 6. Engineering ethics should explore both micro and macro issues, which are often connected and
more ethical issues are arising from the global context of engineering.
• 7. Technological development especially in the age of artificial intelligence warrants cautious
optimism—optimism, with caution.
Approaches to engineering ethics
• There are two different approaches of engineering ethics.
• 1. Micro-ethics: this approach addresses typical, everyday problems that the
engineers face in their professional life. In other words, micro-ethics describes
ethical issues that may affect an engineer‘s professional and personal life.
• 2. Macro-ethics: this approach deals with all societal problems that engineers
encounter during their career. In other words, macro-ethics discusses ethical
issues concerning all societal problems that engineers might encounter.
ETHICS AND EXCELLENCE:
Moral values are embedded at several stages in engineering projects,
including:
The basic standards of
• safety and efficiency,
• the social, cultural,
• and environmental contexts of the community,
• the character of engineers who spearhead technological
progress,
Consider the following case study
• Mary discovers that her plant (factory) is discharging a substance into
the river that is not regulated by the government. She decides to do
some reading about the substance and finds that some of the studies
suggest that it is carcinogen. As an engineer, she believes she has an
obligation to protect the public, but she also wants to be a loyal
employee. The substance will probably be very expensive to remove,
and her boss advises, “Forget about it until the government makes us
do something. Then all the other plants will have to spend money too,
and we will not be at a competitive disadvantage.” What should Mary
do?
• Engineers’ motives and commitments are as many and varied as
those of all human beings. e.g. The desire for meaningful work,
concern to make a living, care for other human beings, and the need
to maintain self-respect all combine to motivate excellence in
engineering.
• All engineers are required to meet the responsibilities stated in their
code of ethics.
• These requirements set a minimum, a high standard of excellence.
What Is Engineering Ethics?
• ethics is synonymous with morality.
• Shortly Engineering ethics is how engineers morally act as an
Engineer.
• In a second sense, ethics is the study of morality.
Why Study Engineering Ethics?
• Engineering ethics should be studied because it is important, both in
contributing to safe and useful technological products and in giving meaning
to engineers’ endeavors.
Moral Imagination: To minimize the chances of being taken by surprise, engineers must exercise great
imagination in considering possible alternatives and their likely consequences.

Recognizing (Moral) Ethical Issues:

Analyzing Concepts:

Eliciting (Bring out) a Sense of Responsibility:

Addressing un-clarity, un-certainty, and disagreement.

Responsibilities in engineering
• Responsibilities are obligations—types of actions that are morally
mandatory. Some obligations are compulsory on each of us, such as to
be honest, fair, and decent.
• Being responsible means being accountable. This means having the
general capacities for moral agency, including the capacity to understand
and act on moral reasons.
• Conscientious (thorough). Morally admirable engineers like LeMessurier
accept their obligations and are conscientious in meeting them. They
diligently try to do the right thing, and they largely succeed in doing so
• Blameworthy/Praiseworthy
ASPECTS OF ETHICS
• There are two aspects to ethics:
• The first involves the ability to discern right from wrong, good from evil and
propriety (modesty) from impropriety.
• The second involves the commitment to do what is right, good and proper.
INTEGRITY
• Integrity is defined as the unity of thought, word and deed (honesty)
and open mindedness. It includes the capacity to communicate the
factual information so that others can make well-informed decisions.

• EXAMPLES OF INTEGRITY AT WORKPLACE

• Work When You're on the Clock: Attending and working diligently when
you're on the clock is a clear example of workplace integrity
HONESTY
• Honesty is a side of moral character that brings positive and virtuous
attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, straightforwardness,
including straightforwardness of conduct, along with the absence of
lying, cheating, theft, etc. Honesty also involves being trustworthy,
loyal, fair, and sincere
MORAL DILEMMMA
• Moral dilemmas are situations in which two or more moral obligations,
duties, rights, goods, or ideals come into conflict with each other.
• There are three types of complexities.
• VAGUENESS: This complexity arises due to the fact that it is not clear to
individuals as to which moral considerations or principles apply to their
situation.
• CONFLICTING REASONS: Even when it is perfectly clear as to which moral
principle is applicable to one’s situation, there could develop a situation where
in two or more clearly applicable moral principles come into conflict.
• DISAGREEMENT: Individuals and groups may disagree how to interpret, apply
and balance moral reasons in particular situations.
Steps in confronting MORAL DILEMA
• I) Identify the relevant moral factors and reasons.
• ii) Gather all available facts that are pertinent to the moral factors involved.
• iii) Rank the moral considerations in the order of their importance as they
apply to the situation.
• iv) Consider alternative course of action, tracing the full implications of
each, as ways of solving dilemma.
• v) Talk with colleagues, seeking the suggestions and perspectives of the
dilemma.
• vi) Arrive at a carefully reasoned judgment by weighing all the relevant
moral factors and reasons in light of facts.
TYPES OF ETHICAL THEORIES
• 1 Virtue ethics Virtues (qualities) and vices (immoralities)
• 2 Utilitarianism Most good for most people
• 3 Duty ethics Duties to respect persons
• 4 Rights ethics Human Rights
VIRTUE ETHICS
• “The unexamined life is not worth living.” (Socrates, 470-399 B.C.)
• “The happy life is thought to be virtuous; now a virtuous life requires
exertion and does not consist in amusement.” (Aristotle, 384-322 B.C.)
The Four Main Virtues
• Prudence (mind): to think about a moral problem clearly and
completely
• Temperance (emotions): control attraction to positive emotions
• Fortitude (emotions): control aversion (dislike) for negative emotions
• Justice (will): choose according to truth and fairness.
UTILITARIANISM
• That which produces the maximum benefit for the greatest number of
people (e.g. Democracy)
• Tries to achieve a balance between the good and bad consequences
of an action
• Tries to maximize the well-being of society and emphasizes what will
provide the most benefits to the largest group of people
• This method is fundamental to many types of engineering analysis,
including risk-benefit analysis and cost- benefit analysis
Problems with Utilitarianism
• Difficult to quantify benefits for ALL those affected.
• “Greatest good” difficult to apply to an all-inclusive population.
• Someone gets “shafted” – approach justifies perpetrating injustice on
individuals, i.e., someone gets left out
DUTY ETHICS (Immanuel Kant’s
view)
• Contends that certain acts (or duties) should be performed because they are
inherently ethical such as:
• be honest,
• keep promises,
• do not inflict sufferings on other people,
• be fair,
• make reparation when you have been unfair,
• How gratitude for kindness extended by others
• seek to improve own intelligence and character,
• develop one’s talents,
• don’t commit suicide.
• Duties, rather than good consequences, are fundamental.
• Individuals who recognize their ethical duties will choose ethically correct moral actions
RIGHTS ETHICS (JOHN LOCKE)
• Everyone has inherent moral rights
• Everyone has rights that arise from EXISTING (i.e. right to Life, maximum
individual Liberty, and human Dignity are Fundamental Rights).
• Other rights arise as a Consequence.
• Duties arise because people have rights, not vice versa.
• Any act that violates an individual’s moral rights is ethically
unacceptable.
• Rights ethics was highly individualistic.
• Rights are primarily entitlements that prevent other people from
meddling in one’s life.