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Engineering Ethics

Engineering ethics is a philosophy guiding engineers on moral issues and decision-making in their professional roles, emphasizing safety, health, and welfare. It encompasses various moral dilemmas, types of inquiry, and theories of moral autonomy, including Kohlberg's and Gilligan's theories. Engineers are expected to act as professional models, promoting public good and safety while navigating complex ethical situations.

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13 views22 pages

Engineering Ethics

Engineering ethics is a philosophy guiding engineers on moral issues and decision-making in their professional roles, emphasizing safety, health, and welfare. It encompasses various moral dilemmas, types of inquiry, and theories of moral autonomy, including Kohlberg's and Gilligan's theories. Engineers are expected to act as professional models, promoting public good and safety while navigating complex ethical situations.

Uploaded by

kvbravindra
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ENGINEERING

ETHICS
WHAT IS ENGINEERING
ETHICS?

Engineering ethics is a body of


philosophy indicating the ways that
engineers should conduct themselves
in their professional capacity
 Variety of moral issues
 Types of inquiry
 Moral dilemmas
 Moral autonomy
 Kohlburg’s theory
 Gilligan’s theory
 The problems of Many Hands
 Impediments to Responsible Action.
BASIC CONCEPT OF
ENGINEERING ETHICS
The products that are manufactured are to be

Given due attention in respect of


 Safety
 Health
 Welfare of the people
 Environment
ENGINEERING ETHICS - DEFINE

 Study of moral issues and decision


confronting the engineers, or organizations in
engineering
 Study of related questions about the moral
ideals, character, policies and relationships
between the people and corporations involved
in technical activities
VARIETY OF MORAL
ISSUES
 Engineering disasters caution about safety
beyond the level of acceptable risk.
 Eg: Gas leak at chemical plant-Union Carbide
Plant-Bhopal
 Ethics are two approaches
 Micro Ethics: Means everyday problem faced by
Engineer in his life or in engineering office
 Macro Ethics: Means the problems that resurface
on an regional level or national level
TWO TYPES OF ETHICS

 Micro Ethics: Means everyday problem faced


by Engineer in his life or in engineering office

 Macro Ethics: Means the problems that


resurface on an regional level or national level
ENGINEERING DISASTERS

 The Challenger explosion

 The accidents at Nuclear Power Plant at


Chernobyl-Russia

 Gas leak at Chemical Plant


Bhopal
VARIOUS BODIES WITH WHICH ENGINEERS MAY FACE PROBLEMS

W
GLOBAL
ENVIRONME FAMILY
NT
ENGINEERS
MANAGERS
COLLEGUES

ENGG,
INDUSTRY CLIENTS
PROFESSIONAL
OTHER FIRMS CUSTOMERS
SOCIETIES

LAW,PUBLIC
AGENCIES
TYPES OF ENQUIRY
Inquiry means

conducting a detailed survey about the project or a

product to know its pros and cons when they are

put in use - to identify the values that will be able to

guide professionals.
 Normative inquiry
 Conceptual inquiry
 Factual inquiry
NORMATIVE INQUIRY
 How far the engineers are mobilized to protect
the public safety in a given situation?

 Whose values are to be given importance


primarily in making judgments about the risks
involved in a design for public transport
system, wherein Govt., engineers and citizens
are involved
CONCEPTUAL INQUIRY
 Concepts, principles and issues in Engineering
ethics.

For example
 What does “Safety” mean?
 How Safety is related to “Risk”?
 What does it mean when codes of Ethics say
Engineers should do and should not do?
 Protective Safety, Health and welfare of the
people?
FACTUAL INQUIRY
 The factual inquiries are descriptive inquiries
 Give information that has got bearing upon
values issues
 Give information about the facts on business
that are in practice during the same time.

Thus the three inquiries help to understand the


business, social and political facts in which the
company operates.
MORAL DILEMMAS
Moral dilemma are situations in which two or
more obligations, duties, rights, goods or
ideals come into conflict with one and other

Three sorts of situations that are involved in


moral dilemmas are as follows
 Problems of Vagueness
 Problems of Conflicting reasons
 Problems of disagreement
 PROBLEMS OF VAGUENESS

Considerable vagueness about whether the gift is


an acceptable article or unacceptable bribe
 PROBLEMS OF CONFLICTING REASONS

Conflict about the morals to be applied under given


conditions
 PROBLEMS OF DISAGREEMENT

Disagreement over interpreting and implementing


under particular situation
MORAL AUTONOMY
 Moral autonomy means “Self determining” or
“Morally Independent”
 Moral autonomy means the skill and habit of
thinking rationally about ethical issues, based
on moral binding
 The study of engineering ethics will strength
our commitments towards honesty, respect for
colleagues, safety and concern for public good
THEORIES ON
MORAL AUTONOMY

 Lawrence Kohlberg’s Theory

 Carol Gilligan’s Theory


LAWARANCE KOHLBERG’S THEORY

There are three level of moral developments

1) Pre-conventional level - The individual is


interested in things which directly benefit oneself.

2) Conventional level -The concept of conventional


level is to follow accepted norms and satisfy
expectation of others

3) Post-conventional level -The concept of Pre-


conventional level is to follow Golden Rule namely
” Do to others as you expect others to do to you”
CAROL GILLINGAN’S
THEORY
 Pre-Conventional Level

A person views what is good for one self


 Conventional level

A person willing to sacrifice his own interests in


order to help others especially woman
 Post –Conventional Level

A person strikes a reasoned balance between


caring about other people and pursuing one’s own
self-interest
MODELS OF PROFESSIONAL ROLES
Engineers have to play the role of “Professional
Models” in promoting the public good, the public
safety and welfare. An engineer should be
 Saviour - Create an ideal society
 Guardian - to develop technology
 Bureaucratic servant - Service as a Govt.,
employee
 Social Servant - Servant to the public
THANK YOU

“The quality of a person’s


life is in direct proportion
to their commitment to
excellence, regardless of
their chosen field of
endeavor.” Vince
Lombardi
THANK YOU

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