Ethics chapter 1

Question 1

Role responsibility

Answer 1

The responsibility that is baed on the role one has or plays in a certain situation.

Question 2

Moral responsibility

Answer 2

The responsibility that is based on moral obligations

Question 3

Professional responsibility

Answer 3

The responsibility that is based on ones role as professional in as far it stays within limits of what is morally allowed.

Question 4

Passive responsibility

Answer 4

Backward-looking responsibility, relevant after something undesirable occurred: specific forms are accountability, blameworthiness and liability.

Question 5

Accountability

Answer 5

Backward-looking responsibility in the sense of being held to account for, or justify one’s actions towards others.

Question 6

Blameworthiness

Answer 6

Backward-looking responsibility in the sense of being a proper target of blame for one’s actions or the consequences of one’s actions. In order for someone to be blameworthy, usually the following conditions needs to apply: wrong doing, causal contribution, foreseeability and freedom.

Question 7

Wrong-doing

Answer 7

Whenever a person or institution is blamed for carrying out a certain action that has violated a norm or resulting something wrong.

Question 8

causal-contribution

Answer 8

The person who is held responsible must have made a causal contribution to the contribution

Question 9

Foreseeability

Answer 9

The person being held responsible must have been able to know the consequences of his of her actions.

Question 10

Freedom of action

Answer 10

The person responsible must have had freedom of action, that is, he or she must not have been forced or pressured to take this action.

Question 11

Active responsibility

Answer 11

Responsibility before something has happened referring to a duty or task to care for certain state-of-affairs or persons.

Question 12

Ideals

Answer 12

Ideas or strivings which are particularly motivating and inspiring for the person having them, and which aim at achieving an optimum or maximum. Professional ideals Ideals that are closely allied to a profession or can only be aspired to by carrying out the profession.

Question 13

Technological enthusiasm

Answer 13

The ideal of wanting to develop new technological possibilities and taking up technological challenges. Note that technological enthusiasm can be a good motivation for engineers, but is inherently dangerous (ie. nuclear bombs).

Question 14

Effectiveness

Answer 14

To which extend a certain goal is achieved.

Question 15

Efficiency

Answer 15

The ratio between the goal achieved and the effort required.

Question 16

Separatism

Answer 16

The notion that scientists and engineers should apply technical inputs, but appropriate management and political organs should make vital decisions.

Question 17

Tripartite model

Answer 17

A model that maintains that engineers can only be held responsible for the design of products and not for wider social consequences or concerns.

Question 18

Technocracy

Answer 18

Government by experts.

Question 19

Paternalism

Answer 19

The making of (moral) decisions for others on the assumption that one
knows better what is good for them than those others themselves.

Question 20

Actor

Answer 20

Any person or group that can make a decision how to act and that can act on that decision (ie. Developers/producers of technology, users and regulators like a government).