Introduction to

Professional Ethics
Ethics & Daily Life

 Ethics is relevant to you in your everyday life.

 Ethics of eating, talking, dressing
 Classroom Ethics etc. etc. etc.….
Ethics

 “Relating to morals, treating of moral questions; morally

correct, honourable”.
 A branch of philosophy concerned with that which is
deemed acceptable in human behaviour, with what is
good or bad, right or wrong in human conduct in pursuit
of goals and aims.”
What is Engineering Ethics?
Engineering Ethics

Field of applied ethics which examines and sets

standards for engineers' obligations to the public,
their clients, employers and the profession and is
appropriate in all aspects of professional practice.
Engineering Ethics

 Responsibility of an engineer to judge his decisions from

the context of the general wellbeing

 Consideration of pros and cons of a certain action and its

implementation.
Ethical Vs Legal
Illegal/unethical

 Telling a lie
 Not wearing seat belt while driving
 Buying a pirated CD
 Carrying a knife in public
 Chopping down your own trees
Ethical Vs Legal

Legal Ethical
Principles govern by Human Principle of
Government. being right or wrong.

Authorities can enforce Don't necessarily have a

you. legal basis.

Applied to everyone. For specific group of

people at specific time.
Morals

Concerned with goodness or badness of character, or with

the distinction between right and wrong; dealing with
regulations of conduct”
OR
Concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior.
Morality vs Ethics
Morality Ethics
1. More general and prescriptive based on 1. Specific and descriptive. It is a critical
customs and traditions. reflection on morals.
2. More concerned with the results of 2. More concerned with the results of a
wrong action, when done. right action, when not done.
3. Thrust is on judgment and punishment, 3. Thrust is on influence, education,
in the name of God or by laws. training through codes, guidelines, and
correction.
4. In case of conflict between the two, 4. Less serious, hence second priority
morality is given top priority. It is more only.
common and basic. Less common. But relevant today,
because of complex interactions in the
modern society.
5. Example: Character flaw, corruption, 5. Example: Notions or beliefs about
extortion, and crime. manners, tastes, and customs.
Examples of Poor Ethics in Engineering

 Applying for a permit to operate a nuclear power plant

 Chemical plant dumping wastes in a landfill
 Advertisements from an electronic company for a
product which is not ready for sale
A Fable
Truth, Falsehood, Water, and Fire were traveling together and came
upon four heads of cattle. They decided to split the cattle evenly and
each take an equal share. But Falsehood was greedy and told Water
that Fire was going to burn his land and steal his cattle.
Water believed him and jumped on Fire and put him out. Falsehood
tricked Truth into believing that Water was going to steal their cattle so
they took them to the top of a hill for Water cannot run uphill. Falsehood
laughed that he had tricked everyone and Truth, realizing Falsehood
had lied, began to fight him for the cattle. They called Wind to
determine whom the cattle belonged to, but Wind did not know.
According to this fable, what are Falsehood and Truth still doing?
According to this fable told in Ethiopia and other eastern African
nations, Truth and Falsehood are still in a battle with one another. Let's
hope truth wins.
Professional Ethics

 Professional ethics, as opposed to personal values and morality, is a

set of ethical standards and values a practicing engineer is required to
follow.

 Engineering as a social experimentation

 Engineers responsibility for safety
 Role of engineers, managers, consultants etc.
 Rights of engineers
 Moral reasoning and ethical theories
 Responsibility to employers
 Global issues and concerns
Approach

 1. Micro-ethics which deals with decisions and problems of

individuals, professionals, and companies.

 2. Macro-ethics which deals with the societal problems on a

regional/national level. For example, global issues,
collective responsibilities of groups such as professional
societies and consumer groups.
Values

In ethics, value denotes the degree of importance

of something or action.
Or
Values are our guidelines for our success—our
paradigm about what is acceptable.

Value improves ethics.

Types of Values

 The five core human values are:

 (1) Right conduct, (2) Peace, (3) Truth, (4) Love, and (5)
Nonviolence.
Values Related to Right Conduct

 (a) SELF-HELP SKILLS: Hygiene, modesty, self reliance,

and tidy appearance
 (b) SOCIAL SKILLS: Good behavior, good manners, good
relationships, helpfulness, No wastage, and good
environment
 (c) ETHICAL SKILLS: Code of conduct, courage, duty,
efficiency, initiative, punctuality, resourcefulness, respect for
all, and responsibility
Values related to PEACE

 Calmness, dignity, discipline, equality, faithfulness, focus

happiness, humility, inner silence, optimism, patience,
satisfaction, self-control, self-discipline, self-respect, sense
control, tolerance, and understanding

Values related to TRUTH

Discernment, fairness, fearlessness, honesty, integrity, justice,

optimism, purity, quest for knowledge, self-analysis, trust,
truthfulness, and determination.
Values related to LOVE

 Affection, care, compassion, consideration, dedication,

devotion, empathy, forgiveness, friendship, generosity,
gentleness, humanness, kindness, patience, patriotism,
sacrifice, selflessness, service, sharing, sympathy,
thoughtfulness, tolerance and trust
Values related to NON-VIOLENCE

(a) PSYCHOLOGICAL: Concern for others, consideration,

forgiveness, loyalty, morality, and universal love
(b) SOCIAL: Appreciation of other cultures and religions,
brotherhood, care of environment, citizenship, equality,
harmlessness, national awareness, social justice.
A 2005 global study of over 1100 managers and executives
identified the top three factors most likely to cause
business people to compromise ethical standards:
 Pressure to meet unrealistic objectives/deadlines
 Desire to further one’s career
 Desire to protect one’s job
Importance of Ethical Conduct in
Engineering Profession
 Ethical practices are critical for every firm
 No one supports a company that is involved in fraudulent,
dishonest or unethical practices.
 You act as an ambassador for your company (people will
look at your behavior, actions, reactions)
 Reputation of firm is highly concerned with ethical actions
 Keeping high standards of integrity, trust, and honesty is a
positive sign
Question 1:

You have been asked to participate as an “Engineer in

Training” in the design and construction of a nuclear power
plant. You will be working in a team of 10 design engineers.
Some of the engineers are experienced and capable nuclear
plant designers.
a) Is the use and development of nuclear power plant ethical?
b) Can you participate in the design of such a plant without
any previous experience?
Question 2:

You work for a Government department as a Procurement Engineer. Your

wife works for one of the companies that supplies some of the pump
spares that you use. One day you decide to stop buying spares from this
company because they have become too expensive and the company has
said they cannot drop their prices. You inform the supplier of your decision
on Wednesday.
On Friday your wife comes home with two tickets to the Melan final on
Saturday and you enjoyed it. Two weeks later your wife comes home and
informs you that she has been given a voucher for a weekend away at an
exclusive game lodge. Her boss told her she and her husband deserve a
luxurious break.
Should you have gone to the holidays?
“A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed
upon this world.”

Albert Camus.