5: Ethics Flashcards
Define values, morals, and ethics:
Values:
- subjective beliefs and standards individuals use to judge right from wrong / and good from bad
Morals:
- widely help societal values regarding right and wrong
ethics:
- organized and agreed-upon principles of conduct for a group
What is a conflict of Interest?
Conflict of interest:
- a situation where you could personally benefit from work you do for your client or employer
Look on the graph on your phone: What do the different rings represent?
Blue: personal values
Low dotted: Societal values
Green: Law
High dotted: organizational values
red: Code of ethics
Looking at the graph on your phone, categorize the following into the zones A, B, C, D, E, F
- reporting a crime
- corporal punishment in some countries
- jaywalking
- developing military technology
- murder
- upholding honor and dignity of engineering
- D
- F
- B
- E
- A
- C
Do values change ever? Are Engineers special?
personal, societal, and organization values all shift from time to time and from place to place
Engineers are help to a higher standard though and are required to adhere to the code of ethics, even if it goes up against their personal values
What are 3 ways to resolve ethical dilemmas?
Duty Ethics
Utilitarianism
Rights Ethics
What is Duty Ethics?
Duty Ethics:
- States that we have an obligation to take actions and make decisions that are right
- societal values (morals) paly a major role in establishing good and right
- relatively inflexible theory suggesting we should behave the same way in all circumstances
What is utilitarianism?
Utilitarianism:
- goal of maximizing the benefit for as many people as possible
- seeking maximum overall benefit including maximum duration of benefits and fairest possible
- costs and hardships should be minimized
What is Rights Ethics?
Rights Ethics:
- to be ethically correct, an action must respect he rights of others
the rights of one citizen shouldn’t compromise the rights of another’s
- based on the fundamental rights of all citizens
What is an ethical dilemma?
Ethical Dilemma:
- A situation in which one is required to make a decision with the knowledge that every choice has undesirable aspects
What are the steps in solving an ethical dilemma?
FUCKING SAME AS ENGINEERING PROCESS:
0 - recognize the dilemma
1 - gather information to define the dilemma
2 - generate alternative solutions
3 - evaluate and select the best
4 - optimize the solution
5 - implement the solution
x - iteration
What is gradual escalation?
Gradual escalation:
- a process for resolving a dilemma in which a small, low-risk actions are attempted first and then gradually followed by bigger and bigger actions
may not be suitable in urgent or situations involving safety
