Introduction to Engineering Ethics

1. James 1:17
“Every good thing
given & every
perfect gift is from
above coming down
the Father of lights,
with whom there is
no variation or
shifting shadow”
1

2. Introductio
n to
Engineering
Ethics
Engineers create products and processes to improve food
production, shelter, energy, communication, transformation,
health, and protection against natural calamities- and to
enhance the convenience and beauty of our everyday lives.
They make possible spectacular human triumphs once only
dreamed of in myth and science fiction. Almost a century and
half ago in From the Earth to the Moon, Jules Verne imagined
American space travelers being launched from Florida, circling
the moon, and returning to splash down in the Pacific Ocean. In
December 1968, three astronauts aboard an Apollo spacecraft
did exactly that. Seven months later, on July 20 1969, Neil
Armstrong took the first human step on the moon. This
extraordinary event was shared with millions of earthbound
people watching the live broadcast on television. Engineering
had transformed our sense of connection with the cosmos and
even fostered dreams of routine space travel for ordinary
citizens.

3. Introduction
Most technology, however, has double implications: As it creates benefits, it raises new
moral challenges. Just an exploration of the moon and planets stand as engineering
triumphs, so the explosions to the space shuttles, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in
2003, were tragedies that could have been prevented had urgent warnings voiced by
experienced engineers been heeded. We will examine these and human error, for in
considering ethics and engineering alike we can learn from seeing how things go
wrong.
In doing so, however, we should avoid allowing technological risks to overshadow
technological benefits. Ethics involves appreciating the vast positive dimension of
engineering that so deeply enriches our lives. To cite only a few examples, each of us
benefits from the top 20 engineering achievements of the twentieth century, as
identified by the National Academy of Engineering: electrifications, automobiles,
airplanes, water supply, and distribution electronics, radio and television, agricultural
mechanization, computers, telephones, air-conditioning and refrigeration, highways,
spacecraft, internet, imaging technologies in medicine and elsewhere, household
appliances, health technologies, petrochemical technologies, laser and fiber optics,
nuclear technologies and high-performance materials. 3

4. Ethics and
Excellence in
Engineering
Moral values and embedded in engineering projects as standards of
excellence, not “tacked on” as external burdens. This is true of even
simple engineering projects, as illustrated by the following assignment
given to students in a freshman engineering course: *Design a chicken
coop that would increase egg and chicken production, using materials
that are readily available and maintainable by local workers. The end
users were to be the women of the weaving cooperative who wnd to
increase the protein in their children’s diet in ways that are consistent
with their traditional diet, while not appreciably distracting from their
weaving.

5. Ethics and
Professionalism
The task proved more complex than first appeared. Students had to identify feasible building
Materials, decide between cages or one large fenced area, and design structures for strength and
endurance. They had to create great access for the villagers, including ample head and shoulder room and
entrance for a safe floor for bare feet. They had to ensure humane conditions for the chickens, including
adequate space and ventilation, comfort during climate changes, convenient delivery of food and water,
and protection from local predators that could dig under fences. They also had to improve cleaning
procedures to minimize damage to the environment while recycling chicken dropping as fertilizers. The
primary goal, however, was to double the current chicken and egg production. A number of design
concepts were explored before a variation of fence-in concept proved preferable to a set of cages.
Additional modification needed to be made as students worked with villagers to implement the design in
ways that best served their needs and interests.
In combining myriad design goals and constraints, engineering projects integrate multiple moral values
connected with these goals and constraints for example, safety, efficiency, respect for persons, and respect
for the environment. As elsewhere, moral values are myriad, and they can give rise to ethical dilemmas:
situations in which moral reasons come into conflict, or in which the application of moral values are
problematic, and it is not immediately obvious what should be done. The moral reason might be
obligations, rights, goods, ideals, or other moral considerations. For example, at what point are the aims of
increasing chicken and egg production compromise humane conditions for the animals?
Technical skills and morally good judgment need to go together in solving ethical dilemmas, and, in
general, in making moral choices. So do competence and conscientiousness, creativity and good character.
These combinations were identified by the ancient Greeks, whose word arête translated into English as
“excellent” or as “virtue”. In engineering, as in other professions, excellence and ethics go together for the
part and in the long run.

6. Potential Moral Problems
To repeat, engineering generally does not consist of
completing design or processes one after another in a
straightforward progression of isolated tasks. Instead, it
involves a trial-and-error process with backtracking based on
decisions made after examining results obtained along the
way. The design iterations resemble feedback loops, and like
any well-functioning feedback control system, engineering
takes into account natural and social environments that affect
the product and people using it. “Let us therefore revisit the
engineering task, this time as listed in table 1-1, along with
examples of problems that might arise.
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7. The grab bag of problems in Table 1-1 can arise from short-comings on the part
of engineers, their supervisors, vendors, or the operator of the product. The
underlying cause can have different forms:
1.Lack of vision, which in the form of tunnel vision biased toward traditional pursuits
overlooks suitable alternatives, and in the form of groupthink promotes acceptance at the
expense of critical thinking.
2.Incompetence among engineers carrying out technical tasks
3.Lack of tie or lack of proper materials, both ascribable to poor management
4.A silo mentality that keeps information compartmentalized rather than shared across
different departments.
5.The notion that there are safety engineers somewhere down the line to catch potential
problems
6.Improper use or disposal of the product by an unwary owner or user
7.Dishonesty in any activity shown in Figure 1-2 pressure y management to take shortcuts.
8.Inattention to how the product is performing after it is sold and when in use
Although this list is not complete, it hints at the range of problems that can generate moral
challenges for engineers. It also suggests why engineers need foresight and caution,
especially in imagining who might be affected indirectly by their products and by their
decisions, in good or harmful ways.
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8. What is
Engineering
Ethics?
In light of this overview of moral complexity I engineering, we
can now define engineering ethics and state the goals in
studying it. The word ethics has several meanings, and hence so
does engineering ethics. In one sense, ethics is synonymous with
morality. It refers to moral values that are sound or reasonable,
actions or policies that are morally required(right), orally
permissible(all right), or otherwise morally desirable (goods).
Accordingly, engineering ethics consists of the responsibilities
and rights that ought to be endorsed by those engaged in
engineering, and also of desirable ideas and personal
commitments in engineering.
In the second sense, the one used in the title of this book,
ethics is the activity (and field) of studying morality; it is inquiry
into ethics in the first sense. It studies which actions, goals,
principles, policies & laws are morally justified. Using this sense,
engineering ethics is the study of the decisions, policies, values
that are morally desirable in engineering practice and research.

9. Table1.1 Engineering Task & Possible Problems
Task A selection of possible problems
Conceptual design Blind to new concepts. Violation of new patents or trade secrets. Product to be used illegally.
Goals; performance Unrealistic assumptions. Design depends on unavailable or untested materials Specification
Preliminary Analysis Uneven: Overlay detailed in designer’s area of expertise, marginal elsewhere
Detailed Analysis Uncritical use of handbook data and computer programs based on unidentified methodologist
Simulation Prototyping Testing of prototype done only under most favorable conditions or not completed
Design Specification Too tight for adjustment during manufacture and use. Design changes not carefully checked
Scheduling of task Promise of unrealistic completion based on insufficient allowance for unexpected events
Purchasing Specifications written to favor one vendor. Bribes, kickbacks. Inadequate testing of purchased part
Fabrication of Parts Variable quality of materials and workmanship. Us materials and component not detected.
Assembly/Construction Workplace safety. Disregard of repetitive-motion stress on workers. Poor control of toxic wastes.
Quality control/ testing Not independent. But controlled by the production manager. Hence, tests rushed or results falsified
Advertising and sales False advertising(availability, quality). Product over- sold beyond client’s need or means
Shipping, Installation, Product too large to ship by land. Installation and training subcontracted out, training inadequately supervised.
Safety measures and Reliance on overlay complex, failure-prone devices. Lack of simple “safety-devices exit”.
Used Use appropriately or for illegal applications, Over-loaded. Operations manuals not ready
Maintenance, parts,, Inadequate supply of spare parts. Hesitation to recall the product when repairs found to be faulty
Monitoring effect of No formal procedure for following life cycle of product, its effect on society product and the environment.
Recycling disposal Lack of attention to ultimate dismantling, disposal of product, public notification of hazards 9

10. These two senses are normative: They refer to justified values, desirable (not merely desire) choices, and sound
policies. Normative sense differs from descriptive sense of ethics. In one descriptive sense, we speak of Henry
Ford’s ethics, or the ethics of American engineers, referring thereby to what specific individuals or groups believe
and how they act, without implying that their beliefs and actions are justified. In another descriptive sense, social
scientists study ethics when they describe and explain what people believe and what they act; they conduct
opinion polls, observe behavior, examine documents written by professional societies, and uncover the social
forces shaping engineering ethics.
In its normative senses, “engineering ethics” refers to justified moral values in engineering, but what are moral
values?. What is morality? Dictionaries tell us that morality is about right and wrong, good and bad, values and
what ought to be done. But such definitions are incomplete, for these words also have non moral meanings. Thus,
to start a car a person ought to put the key in the ignitions; that Is the right thing to do. Again, chocolates tasted
goods, and beauty is an aesthetic value. In contrast, morality concerns right and wrong, moral good and bad,
moral values, and morality ought to be done. Saying this is not especially illuminating, however, for It is a circular
definition that uses the word we are trying to define.
As it turns out, morality is not easy to define in any comprehensive way. Of course, we can all give examples of
moral values, such as honesty, courage, compassion, and justice. Yet, the moment we try to prove a
comprehensive definition of morality we are drawn into at least rudimentary ethical theory. For example, if we say
morality consists in promoting the most good, we are invoking an ethical theory called utilitarianism. If we say that
morality is about human rights, we invoke right ethics. And if we say that morality is essentially about good
character, we might be invoking virtual ethics. 10

11. Why Study Engineering Ethics
Engineering ethics should be studied because it is important, both in contributing to safe and useful
technological products and giving meaning to engineers’ endeavors. It is also complex, in ways that calls
for serious reflection throughout a career, beginning with earning a degree. But beyond these general
observations, what specific aims should guide the study of engineering ethics?
In our view, the direct aim is to increase our ability to deal effectively with oral complexity in
engineering. Accordingly, the study of engineering ethics strengthens our ability to reason clearly and
carefully about moral questions. To invoke terms widely used in ethics, the unifying goal is to increase
moral autonomy.
Autonomy means self-determining, but not just any kind of independent reflection about ethics
amounts to moral autonomy. Moral autonomy can be viewed as the skill and habit of thinking rationally
about ethical issues on the basis of moral concern and commitments. This foundation of general
responsiveness to moral values derives primarily from the training we receive as children in being
sensitive to the needs and rights of others, as well as of ourselves. When such training is absent, as it
often is with seriously abused children, the tragic result can be an adult sociopath who lacks a sense of
moral right and wrong. Sociopaths(or psychopaths) are not morally autonomous, regardless of how
independent their intellectual reasoning about ethics might be.
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12. Improving the ability to reflect carefully on moral issues can be accomplished by
improving various practical skills that will help produce autonomous thought
about moral issues. As related in engineering ethics, these skills include the
following:
1.Moral awareness: Proficiency in recognizing moral problems and issues in
engineering
2.Cogent moral reasoning: Comprehending, clarifying, and assessing arguments
on opposing sides of moral issues
3.Moral coherence: Forming consistent and comprehensive view points based on
consideration of relevant facts
4.Moral imagination: Discerning alternative responses to moral issues and finding
creative solutions for practical difficulties
5.Moral communication: Precision in use of common ethical language, a skill
needed to express and support one’s moral views adequately to other
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13. These are the direct goals in college courses. They center on cognitive skills- skills of the
intellectual in thinking clearly and cogently. It is possible, however, to have these skills and yet
not act morally in responsible ways. Should we therefore add to our list of goals the following
goals that specify aspects of moral commitment and responsible conduct?
6.Moral reasonableness: The willingness and ability to be morally reasonable
7.Respect for persons: Genuine concern for well-being of others as well as oneself
8.Tolerance of diversity: within a broad range, respect for ethics and religious differences and
acceptance of reasonable differences in moral perspective
9.Moral hope: Enriched appreciation of the possibilities of using dialogue in resolving moral
conflicts
10.Integrity: Maintaining moral integrity and integrating one’s professional life and personal
convictions.
In our view we should add these goals to the study of engineering ethics, for without
them there would be little practical point in studying ethics. At the same time, the goals are
often best pursued implicitly and indirectly, more in how materials are studied and taught
than in reaching and testing. A foundation of moral concern must be presupposed, as well as
evoked and expanded, in studying ethics at the college level. 13

14. CODE OF ETHICS
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It shall be considered unprofessional and inconsistent with honorable and dignified bearing for any registered Civil Engineer:
*To act for his clients* in professional matters otherwise than as a faithful agent or trustee, or to accept any remuneration other than
his stated charges for services rendered to his clients.
*To attempt to injure falsely or maliciously, directly or indirectly, the professional reputation, prospects, or business of another Engineer.
*To attempt to supplant another Engineer after definite steps have been taken toward his employment.
*To compete with another Engineer for employment based on his professional charges, by reducing his usual charges and in his
manner attempting to underbid after being informed of the charges named by another.
*To review the work of another engineer for the same client, except with the knowledge or consent of such Engineer, or unless the
connection of such Engineer with the work has been terminated.
*To advertise in self-laudatory language, or any other manner derogatory to the dignity of the Profession.
*To use the advantages of a salaried position to compete unfairly with Engineers in private practice.
*To act in any manner or engage in any practice which will tend to bring discredit on the honor or dignity of the Engineering Profession.
-the word “clients” is considered to be inclusive of the meaning of the word “employers”

15. Fundamental Principles
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Civil engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor, and dignity of the civil engineering
profession by:
1. using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare and the
environment;
2. being honest and impartial and serving with fidelity the public, their
employers/employees and clients;
3. striving to increase the competence and prestige of the civil engineering profession; and
4. supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines.

16. Fundamental Canons
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17. James 1:17
“Every good thing
given & every
perfect gift is from
above coming down
the Father of lights,
with whom there is
no variation or
shifting shadow”
17