Ethics & Engineering Flashcards
What are ethics?
Oxford English Dictionary definitions:
– moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity
– the branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles
What are engineering ethics?
Martin and Schinzinger, Ethics in Engineering, definitions for Engineering ethics are:
The study of moral issues and decisions confronting individuals and organizations involved in engineering
which of the following are direct and indirect ethical considerations ?
Am I working within the rules or code of conduct (e.g. health and safety regulations)?
Is the material from a sustainable source?
How has the material been extracted/manufactured?
Which material would the conscientious professional engineer use?
Which materials would be best to achieve the desired end result?
Which material would best serve the client’s specification?
Which material does my employer/supervisor recommend?
What is the price of the various options?
Is the material specified in the brief/contract?
Direct:
Am I working within the rules or code of conduct (e.g. health and safety regulations)?
Is the material from a sustainable source?
How has the material been extracted/manufactured?
Which material would the conscientious professional engineer use?
Indirect:
Which materials would be best to achieve the desired end result?
Which material would best serve the client’s specification?
Which material does my employer/supervisor recommend?
What is the price of the various options?
Is the material specified in the brief/contract?
What are 3 approaches to ethical dilemmas?
Consequentialism
Duty ethics (deontology)
Virtue ethics
What is consequentialism?
Assess the rightness or wrongness of action primarily on the outcomes.
Act-utilitarianism – the best action is that which maximises utility i.e. brings about the “greatest overall happiness of the greatest number”.
Classical act-utilitarianist – Jeremy Bentham (1748 – 1832)
What are characteristics of consequentialism?
Appeals to impartiality
Is aggregative
Is maximising
Requires confidence that an objective measure of “goodness” can be achieved
What are 4 potential short falls of consequentialism?
Could be impractical in some circumstances, for example using unethical/illegal means to obtain evidence
Punishing innocent scapegoats (e.g. by suppressing evidence) may satisfy the public’s desire for justice
Does not focus on rights of individuals or duties of actions
Does not prohibit seemingly unethical actions, for example killing one person (to save many more)
What is Duty ethics (Deontology)?
Considers one’s duty to adhere to rules as most important with the consequences of the decision of lower importance - Immanuel Kant (1724-1804),Kantian Ethics
Aka. Adhering to laws, rules, codes of conduct and regulations is most important.
Duty Ethics – what is Universalisability?
Considers what happens if everyone takes a certain choice given an ethical question? (proposed by Kant)
What is Virtue ethics ?
Focusses on the character of moral agents, and assesses right or wrong actions in terms of whether they manifest a virtue or a vice.
Aristotle (BC 384-322)
How are judgements made when using Virtue ethics?
Ethical judgements are made on a case by case basis, often very practical. Faced with a dilemma – ask “what would the virtuous agent do in these circumstances”?
What are virtues?
Virtues are dispositions that motivate action in the right way and are inculcated through practicing good actions - An ethical agent should be in good ethical shape
What are code of ethics used for ?
A:The main role of a code of ethics is to have something to appeal to other than your own individual beliefs.
