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Limitations of engineering codes of ethics
Journal article Engineering Codes of Ethics and the Duty to Set a Moral Precedent
Limitations of engineering codes of ethics
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Since the conception of engineering the ethical codes that govern the profession have been ever changing. In the beginning, ethical codes for engineers emphasized loyalty to the employer regardless of any legal or moral infraction. By the mid 1900’s these codes had been revised to include a new objective: protecting public safety, health and welfare. Even with this new objective there were many engineering fiascos that showed a new necessity for a reevaluation of engineering ethics. By the early 2000’s ethics had become a mandatory part of education for engineers with the primary objective of protecting public safety, health and welfare above all else. In her essay “Moral Vision and the Landscape of Engineering Professionalism” Elizabeth D. Gee expresses the need for further change in ethics education both in the workplace and in educational institutions for the betterment of engineering as a profession.
As an introduction Gee notes that engineering, as well as many other professions, often follows the saying that “it is not one thing after another; it is the same thing over and over;” this is to say that as engineers in the field, repetitive activity causes a jaded pattern of response that the author calls “ethical autopilot.” Gee asserts that to avoid this cynicism caused by lack of choice engineers must be free to act on their own ideas and values. However, in order for engineers to be truly “morally alert” (Gee) in this sense, certain hindrances must be removed. Due to the environment in which engineers operate, existing as a morally autonomous engineer is difficult, but not impossible if thoughts of profit do not cloud the engineer’s judgment.
Gee also discusses the idea of professional codes of ethics, pointing out that ...
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...ularly history, allow the reader to use the power of hindsight to take different points of view in historical situations. This historical reference frame is important in thinking to the future to prevent history from repeating itself.
In “Moral Vision and the Landscape of Engineering Professionalism” Gee presents a very clever method of maintaining ethics in engineering by utilizing both codes of ethics and her concept of moral vision to prevent cynicism in the workplace and keep high ethical standards in the field of engineering. I feel that this method would be very effective if implemented, as Gee suggests, in both the educational and workplace settings by increasing general awareness of the necessity of ethics in engineering.
Works Cited
Gee, Elizabeth D. “Moral vision and the Landscape of Engineering Professionalism.” NSPE. NSPE, n.d. Web. 3 February. 2010.
Martin, M.W. and Schinzinger, R. (2005) Ethics in Engineering. 4th ed. New York: McGraw Hill.
The study of past events have been a common practice of mankind since the verbal telling of stories by our ancestors. William Cronon, in his article “Why the Past Matters,” asserts that the remembrance of the past “keeps us in place.” Our individual memories and experiences shape how we act in our daily lives. In addition to influencing us at an individual level, our collective history binds us together as a society. Without knowing where we have been or what we have experienced, it is nearly impossible to judge progress or know which courses of action to pursue. The goal of the historian is to analyze and explain past events, of which they rarely have firsthand memory of, and apply the gained knowledge to make connections with current and future events.
To clarify, the Engineering Code of Ethics is the set of rules established by the National Society of Professional Engineers that all engineers are expected to adhere to. In essence, the fundamental tenets of this code are that all engineers are expected to prioritize public safety, as well as be honest with their clients and the general public while only doing work that they are qualified to do. (“Code of Ethics,” n.d.). The reason this code is crucial in this case is because it offers guiding principles for the men and women who are in charge of so many of the various structures and buildings that are used by everyone in society. If the engineering population were to fail to adhere to this code, many people’s lives would be put in jeopardy; buildings might crumble, planes may crash, and bridges could collapse. This means that this code serves to keep engineers in check so that the world maintains stability, therefore its importance cannot be emphasized enough. Furthermore, since this code is nationally recognized, if a company’s engineers were to violate any aspect of it, it would be seen nation-wide as a misuse of power for the sake
Virtues are both important and inherent within any engineering field. Virtues outline acceptable and unacceptable characteristics for an engineer. Moreover, virtue ethics places emphasis on character rather than rights or regulations. Character is divided into two components, one being considered morally desirable (virtue), and one being considered morally undesirable (vice). Common virtues of engineers are honesty and competence. While typical vices of engineers are arrogance and incompetence. This paper will outline Aristotle’s Virtue ethics, and to what extent virtue ethics has impacted me here at Texas A&M.
...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.
Moltow, D. (2014, March 19). EMT 602: Ethics, Education and Professional Practice, Week 4 lecture. Lecture presented for the Master of Teaching, University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia.
The role of any employee is to perform their task to the best of their ability, regardless of their occupation. Whether you are behind the tortilla station at Chipotle or behind the vest of a sworn in officer. You are obligated to put forth your best foot forward despite the situations you may encounter. While always putting the health of the person you are serving first. With hierarchy in society this obligation carries more meaning and status depending on one’s profession. The professional role of an engineer is not only to form the pathways to a more productive society by mending the practices of math, science and reason to do so. But to also protect society in every way possible. Every engineer as an unsworn duty to serve and safeguard any form of human life, not just people. The role of any qualified professional is to perform their job with only the intent of a positive outcome. Never cheating, lying or falsifying anything in the process.
Ethics deals with actions with adequate standard of attitudes, behavior that is pleasing to the people or organizations. Every job has a code of ethical conduct that is supposed to be is followed. It is very necessary to understand that ethical rules must apply and obey with basis of what is right and wrong which is written in the law. That is why there are professions that have organizations or associations which have the method of ethical conducts or standard.
In the paragraphs that follow you will be introduced to the Code of Ethics as outlined by IEEE, and what it means to its members. A comprehensive summarization will be provided for each guideline along with examples of how this code has been recently violated. The vast world of technology, as ever-changing as it is, can affect almost everyone in any aspect of life. This being the case it is important that we as students and engineers adhere to the guidelines set forth by the IEEE, and commit to conduct ourselves to act in a professional and ethical manner. While this is the conduct expected to be exemplified by the members of IEEE, many organizations and firms have similar codes to which they too expect their members to follow.
May 28, 2007, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=102&sid=9d9a4eec-37e8-4b51-882f-05f2fe0b0653%40sessionmgr107. Thompson, K. (2007). The 'Path of the Earth'. A corporate training view of ethics education. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, vol. 78, no.
History is a story told over time. It is a way of recreating the past so it can be studied in the present and re-interpreted for future generations. Since humans are the sole beneficiaries of history, it is important for us to know what the purpose of history is and how historians include their own perspective concerning historical events. The purpose and perspective of history is vital in order for individuals to realise how it would be almost impossible for us to live out our lives effectively if we had no knowledge of the past. Also, in order to gain a sound knowledge of the past, we have to understand the political, social and cultural aspects of the times we are studying.
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
Engineering ethics can be described as moral principles that are applied to the engineering practice (Van et al, 2011). Engineering bodies, such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, conducts field examines and set obligations that engineers are supposed to fulfill, to their clients, society and professi...