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Scope of Engineering ethics
Professional ethics and values
Ethics in education
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The McLean paper, “Integrating Ethics and Design,” presents many statements about the purpose and application of having engineering students take an ethics course. The primary assertion with which I disagree is that an ethics course is necessary to fill in the gaps left by the technical nature of the field, as it assumes that we have no other moral grounding or experience, however, I do agree that engineering students are not prepared for the type of thinking required to understand an ethics course in the form it is presented. As an engineering student, I disagree with McLean’s statement that “the important subject of ethics and responsibility is often reduced to only one or two half year courses.” While it is true that there is only one course devoted solely to the study of ethics, it has nevertheless been an integrated part of my education from my first semester in …show more content…
Cautionary tales such as the Challenger and Columbia accidents, the BP oil spill, and other major events are discussed in classes frequently. Whether they are part of the course curriculum or not, the topics seem to arise from even the most basic engineering principles or subjects. Professors of any engineering subject already have their own understanding of the importance of seeing beyond the numbers and truly understanding the discipline for what it is: “the protection of the social good,” as McLean terms it. It is not the task of a single semester to set the ethical model of behavior for an engineer’s entire career, it is the responsibility of our entire educational program to accomplish that goal.
It is true to even the casual observer than any engineering discipline is highly technical and
Martin, M.W. and Schinzinger, R. (2005) Ethics in Engineering. 4th ed. New York: McGraw Hill.
[5] Roger M. Boisjoly, “Telecon Meeting (Ethical Decisions – Morton Thiokol and the Challenger Disaster)” [online], Washington, DC.: National Academy of Engineering, May 15, 2006 [cited March 16, 2010], available from World Wide Web:
Safety in the ethics and industry of aerospace technology is of prime importance for preventing tragic malfunctions and crashes. Opposed to automobiles for example, if an airplane breaks down while in mid-flight, it has nowhere to go but down. And sadly it will often go down “hard” and with a high probability of killing people. The Engineering Code of Ethics states first and foremost that, “Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public.” In the aerospace industry, this as well holds very true, both in manufacturing and in air safety itself. Airline safety has recently become a much-debated topic, although arguments over air safety and travel have been going ...
Gordon, Mike. "Engineering Ethics: An Insider’s Account of the Columbia Disaster." Introduction to Aerospace. Skurla 110, Melbourne. 8 November 2013. Lecture.
...nciples of engineering; in doing so, they will aid in the protection of society by having a high standard of ethics, honesty, and integrity. In order to become a world-class engineering student, I will have to continue to be conscious of academic dishonest behavior, alerting my professors if I am witness to its occurrence and deterring myself from it, in addition to familiarizing myself with the professional ethical codes related to engineering as engineers are expected to exhibit these fundamental principles when fulfilling their professional duties.
Since the beginning of times people have been making tools to correct the past, and to make easier our future. In fact, almost everything that is around us was invented by someone in the past, maybe using a different kind of tools. Some new and very good inventions are improving over the years, that is what is happening with technology. People have been questioning all the new progress in life especially in science and art. Now with the use of technology, as our new tool, society will be more skeptical.
Miner, M. H. (2005) Ethics education: Further reasons why a grounding in ethical theory is essential. Comment on Davidson, Garton, and Joyce (2003). Australian Psychologist , 40 (1), 54-56. doi: 10.1080/00050060512331317184
Poel, Ibo Van De, and Lambèr M. M. Royakkers. Ethics, Technology, and Engineering: An Introduction. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.
A virtue is a trait believed to be morally good, and a vice is a trait believed to be morally wrong. Eventually, a person will make a decision and take action based on their virtues and vices. Therefore, it is virtues that help engineers reach their purpose and evaluate ethical behavior. This paper will attempt to generate a list of virtues that an engineer must possess in order to be regarded as virtuous. Before doing this, Aristotle’s virtue ethics, virtues of thought, and virtues of character will be explained.
Ethics is the moral behavior that guides our actions; it motivates us in our personal behavior and is relevant in a business setting as well. Many organizations have set forth a set of guidelines known as a “Code of Ethics”. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, being one of these organizations, has set forth their code as a requirement for students and engineer members to adhere to. Heading towards a career in electrical engineering I choose this organization to elaborate on for my ethics project.
As a branch of philosophy, ethics investigates the questions “What is the best way for people to live?” and “What actions are right or wrong in particular circumstances?” In practice, ethics seeks to resolve questions of human morality, by defining concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. As a field of intellectual enquiry, moral philosophy
Virtue ethics, which was systematized by Aristotle, helps define what it means to have a good life and what kind of person you should be in your life. Virtue ethics says that although you can work to develop traits, you must achieve your full potential in order to lead a virtuous life. While virtues have applications throughout your daily life and in many different professions, they are particularly relevant in engineering. Successful engineers need to reflect many different virtues in their actions, including being intelligent and hardworking. This paper defines Aristotle’s virtue ethics and how it is specifically applicable to engineers.
Engineers design, build or maintain applications and systems to solve various societal problems. Their behaviors thus have a non-negligible impact on human development. Oftentimes, however, engineers are faced with the dilemma to choose between compromising their code of ethics and threatening their promising careers. It is important that engineers deem public welfare as a supreme concern and stand their ground so that they will report any observed situations that potentially can harm public safety to their superiors. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) case study is a good example of engineers being responsible with society in that they attempted multiple times to inform their supervisors in management about their concerns with the possible imminent system failure of BART. Even though their voices were ignored and they were fired by the company in the end, they made the passengers realize the probable dangers underneath this regional rail service. Consequently, on October 2nd, 1972, as a result of Automatic Train Control (ATC) failure, a BART train overshot the station at Fremont and wounded several people. In order to prevent these tragic accidents from happening, the BART case needs to be further examined for deeper understanding of the problem. This paper will use deontological ethical framework to address the cause of BART train system failure and recommend feasible plans to avert similar tragedies from occurring in the future to BART employees. Therefore, not only engineers, but also managers and board of directors should be educated about ethics and should be familiar with basic technical knowledge regarding their business.
McLaren, B. (2010, July 22). The ethical responsibility of engineers and the rest of us, too [Web log article]. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-d-mclaren/the-ethical-responsibilit_b_653812.html
Mechanical engineers have a responsibility of ensuring they abide by general ethics as that have been laid down by engineering bodies such as the American Society of Mechanical engineers. Engineers have to sound alarm whenever safety violations are breached or when the organization does not perform required procedures that may endanger lives. It is the engineer’s duty to inform members of the public whenever legal bodies fail to nullify projects which may cause disasters.