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Ethics in the engineering field
Ethics in the engineering field
Automotive engineering ethics
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In their daily life engineers face many ethical problems when designing different types of machines. In general Engineers are considered to abide by international and corporate codes along with their professionalism in their designing process. A Design team from the Delft University of Technology is designing a light weight, sustainable car. Their goal is to design a car with a maximum mass of 400 kg for family use. Upon their design process many ethical problems raised. In this research paper I will introduce some of this ethical considerations along with the response of the design team and their opponents to this problems and finally evaluate the overall morality of this design.
In designing this light weight car the main ethical problem
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This question is the second ethical Problem which the design team face. Since this principle is hard to achieve because of the special features of this car such as weight and efficiency. There are two opposite answers to this question. The first one is that yes this light weight car should meet the same government regulations because the owners of such cars should have the same chances of surviving accidents. Thus the government should promote the manufacturing of such cars but also ensure that these cars meet the same safety regulations. The second answer is that these cars should not meet the same regulations because they are based on different concepts and thus they should be compared to motorcycles and meet their own new …show more content…
This is also an ethical dilemma which face the designers. As for the previous problems I will show both the opponent and proponent opinions. As for the proponent one the design team believe that that it is ethically justified because when people buy this car they are informed before that has higher degree of risks and this is compared to the situation of buying a motorcycle knowing that it has higher risks. The opponent opinion states that it is unethical because the standard of safety is set by the heavy cars and it is unacceptable to design cars which have levels of risks below the standard. Since people who will drive such cars are obliged to do so because of their financial situation and thus they will suffer higher risks because of these
Since the industrial revolution, the field of engineering has allowed society to flourish through the development of technological advances at an exponential rate. Similar to other professionals, engineers are tasked with making ethical decisions, especially during the production and distribution processes of new inventions. One field that has encountered ethical dilemmas since its inception is the automotive industry. Today, the dawn of the autonomous, self-driving, vehicle is upon us. In this new-age mode of transportation, humans will be less responsible for decisions made on the road. With the wide adoption of autonomous vehicles, there exist a possibility to reduce traffic-related accidents. Even though computers have the ability
The majority of people, especially in America, cannot go about their daily lives without a car. Automobiles have instilled themselves in peoples’ lives and shown their usefulness since their debut in 1769. Since then, humans have redesigned and refined the automobile thousands of times, each time making the vehicle more efficient and economical than before. Now as the world approaches an ethical decision to dwarf all others, many people look toward automotives for yet another change. The emergence of the hypercar due to ecological turmoil exemplifies the change the world has demanded. Hypercars alter everything people know about automotives, modern ecology, and fuel efficiency. Not only do hypercars offer a solution to many ecological problems humans are faced with now, they also represent the only logical area for the automotive industry, and by some stretch American society, to expand.
"MOTOR INDUSTRY: TRIO OF EUROPEAN CARS TOP CAR SAFETY LIST." European Report. N.p., 3 June 1998. Web.
“The lesson of the airplane is in the logic that governed the statement of the problem and its realization.” Liners are a feat of engineering that show the possibilities for architecture. “The first stage in the realization of a world organized in accordance with the new spirit.” The airplane, which is a product of highest selection, shows us best how form is completely derived from function. Auto manufacturers strove for perfection through standardization and architecture works on standards. “Standards are things of logic, of analysis, of scrupulous
The issue of whether customers should buy FWD and RWD cars is complex and controversial. Different people hold different ideas due to their drive experience and consumers attitudes. On one hand, lots of people believe that only RWD cars represent Luxury and high-performance. On the other hand, the car made on FWD are much cheaper and popular. However, most of customers are blind and ignorant on it. Many of them don’t even know the automobile layout of their sedan after use it for decades.
...t of the electric car for the economic and practical benefits that would reinvigorate the country and make life easier for everyone. Upon revisiting the original question to this essay, the electric car is a worthy solution to our energy crisis and proves to be an economically responsible car. Its long-term cost savings outweighs easily improved flaws. However, in order to better understand the work done by scientists, research must be done specifically on the predecessors to the electric car and determine how those have stood the test of time. This will be done in order to help predict how the electric car will survive in the world. The future may always have a hint of uncertainty, but if scientists, governments, and drivers implement the new car with care, the goal of a smooth transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources can finally be achieved.
A car with good handling and stability is much safer to drive than a poorly designed one. This is because it grips better and is more responsive.
It might be hard to see where the self-driving car could have issues with safety but an interesting question arises when an accident is unavoidable. The question posed is “How should the car be programmed to act in the event of an unavoidable accident? Should it minimize the loss of life, even if it means sacrificing the occupants, or should it protect the occupants at all costs? Should it choose between these extremes at random?” (ArXiv). This is a very interesting question surrounding ethics. I’m not sure if there is a right answer to the question, which could stall the self-driving car industry. Before self-driving cars are mass produced a solution needs to be found to the question about unavoidable accidents. Although this question is a problem, there may not be a need to address the problem. It is said that “"driver error is believed to be the main reason behind over 90 percent of all crashes" with drunk driving, distracted drivers, failure to remain in one lane and falling to yield the right of way the main causes.” (Keating). Self-driving cars could eliminate those problems entirely and maybe with all cars on the road being self-driving cars, there would be no “unavoidable accidents”. Safety is the main issue the self-driving car is trying to solve in transportation and seems to do a good job at
People around the world are constantly moving from place to place. Whether that place is work, a restaurant, or home, people require a means of transportation in order to arrive at a desired destination safely and efficiently. One of the most used means of transportation today are cars. Cars play an important role in the world’s economy by transporting goods and people. Automobiles have come a long way since Ford’s first Model T, and the auto industry plans to further enhance the technology and capabilities of the cars that drive on our roads. New technological advancements like rear-view camera, self parking, and auto braking have greatly improved the overall safety of cars today. However, one of the most talked about ideas are autonomous
One of the very first things a buyer should consider when looking for a car is what kind of car he/she wants. Many different factors can affect the car buying process. For one, the buyer must consider how big of a vehicle he/she wants and safety features like airbags, seatbelts, and working brakes. Itemizing a list of accessories can also help narrow down what kind of car to buy. While some people might prefer a Sedan with a large back seat and seat warmers, others may prefer an extreme luxury car with full stereo systems and miniature televisions. Every person has different tastes in accessories; luckily, there is a vehicle that can fit almost every personality. Most new models have the latest technology installed, although some of the “newer” used cars have the option of adding in those accessories. Once the...
Initially to understand the importance of government regulation, and even government debate on certain measures one must look at the disastrous Chevrolet Corvair. By outlining this technologies main problems, it can make the governments involvement much more visible. Back in 1959 the Department of Commerce reported that 51,000 people would die from automobile accidents by 1975, that figure was obtained in 1965. That significant figure was reached 10 years before its projected date, and the question is why? The answer was, unlike many other tr...
As the cars have got faster and better the states and governments have had to toughen laws.
Automotive ethics is a subject that is often over looked. Not many people tend to look at what is ethical in the automotive industry; most people are generally satisfied if they can get a good deal on a car. However, in reality, automotive ethics has an affect on how automobiles are made, what regulations the government puts on them, and their hazard on the environment. Before the engine was invented, life revolved around a much more complicated system of transportation. Much advancement in technology has been made to make the common lifestyle today much easier; a few examples are cellular telephones and onboard navigation systems in automobiles. Cellular telephones and navigation systems have become an everyday item, but nobody looks at the dangers that can have while operating a motor vehicle.
What we must do for now on is to reshape our usual thinking of how a vehicle should be as it is
The fast population growth rate of humans means that the necessity for transportation vehicles is also enormously increasing. Studies have shown that in 1999 the worldwide number of vehicles registered was 700 million. From this huge number of vehicles, the US has a large share, which includes 200 million cars and light trucks. The number of cars worldwide also grew three times faster Competition for good things like public health, making the earth safe to live are positive aspects of competition, but global competition can also have a downside concerning the environment. This is true for the production of vehicles, as companies are coming with designs and new models with improved engines, but fuel consumption and the pollution of the air remains the same.