Virtue At Texas A & M University

There are many engineers throughout the world who focus on a variety of different types of engineering. One thing that is common among all of these engineers are the virtues that are required to be good engineer. Regardless of which discipline an engineer pursues the base virtues required to do well in that discipline remain the same. This paper will first discuss Aristotle’s understanding of virtues. Then the paper will discuss a few of the virtues needed to be a good engineer and what engineering virtues are learned and developed through the engineering program at Texas A&M University.

Aristotle and Virtues To better understand how virtues relate to engineering and how certain virtues are the mark of a good engineer, one needs to understand

Engineers and students that go to this school have 3 core virtues ingrained into them from the beginning in the shape of their honor code, “An aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those that do”. While these are examples of the virtues required to be a good person they also directly correlate with virtues required to be an outstanding engineer. The virtue of honesty is an ethical requirement that is echoed throughout many engineering societies and even the national engineering code of ethics. To be a good engineer one is required to be honest to their bosses, colleagues and the public, when it is something that could affect them. The virtue of not cheating may seem obvious to being a good person but this all applies to not cutting corners in a job. An engineer must do a job thoroughly and the right way. If an engineer cuts corners or try to cheat regulations then the project could fail and end in catastrophe and end worse case scenarios even end in death. Some may question how stealing directly applies to engineer and not just a good person. While not specifically discussing the theft of materials it is important that an engineer conducts his own work. To be a good engineer one must work out his own solutions to problems not steal from other engineers who have solved the issue, unless they gain permission to use the other engineers work. The final part of the aggie honor code states “... or tolerate those that do”. If an engineer tolerates and surrounds oneself with non-virtuous people then they may compromise some of their own ethical beliefs, thus making themselves less virtuous. Second, an engineer never knows what may come back to harm them and by tolerating those who are not virtuous they may find themselves in trouble, potentially even legal trouble. Along with the virtues ingrained in all students the engineer students are also taught the “techne” needed to be competent in their specific field.