This document discusses engineering ethics and how to resolve moral issues. It covers different types of interaction rules like etiquette, law, morals, and ethics. It also compares moral theories like ethical egoism, utilitarianism, and rights analysis that can be used to resolve moral issues. The document provides examples of applying these moral theories and discusses how to make decisions when the theories diverge. It concludes with the duties of an ethical engineer and considerations for resource allocation.

1. FOUNDATIONS OF
ENGINEERING

2. CHAPTER # 2
Engineering Ethics

3. INTERACTION RULES
Engineer has obligations to society –
e.g. be honest, unbiased, hardworking, careful.
Society has obligations to Engineers as well –
e.g. to pay for work performed.

4. INTERACTION RULES
ETIQUETTE – (no punishment)
rules of acceptable personal behavior when interacting with others in
a social setting.
Example: showing proper respect to employee and clients, answering
the phone in a professional way
LAW – (punishment)
a system of rules and punishments established by a society to
maintain a safe and orderly social environment.
Example : In Middle East societies, robbers may have a hand
amputated, whereas western society favors imprisonment

5. INTERACTION RULES
MORALS – (no punishment but societies have selective pressure)
personal rules of right and wrong behavior derived from a
person’s upbringing, religious beliefs, and societal influences.
Example:
Stealing and Murder -> Agreement
Dancing, Gambling, Consumption of Alcohol -> Not Universally agree
ETHICS –
a code defining moral behavior.

6. COMPARISION OF INTERACTION
RULES
E.g. murder is illegal, immoral, unethical, a violation of Human
Rights, certainly bad etiquette
Example 1# THE LEGAL SYSTEM HAS NOT CONSIDERED THE
SITUATION
A chemical company has develops a new process that has a waste by-product.
Example 2# LAW MUST BE IMPARTIAL & TREAT EVERYONE THE SAME
Government process and certainly you need a equipment urgently.
Example 3#LAW MUST GOVERN OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOUR
bad thought thinking – Not a law but it is equal to perform it in moral
codes.

7. SETTLING CONFLICTS
A major purpose of interaction is to avoid conflicts between the
members of society.
For example: A law tells us on which side of the road to drive.
Without it, there would be many lethal conflicts.

8. COMPARISION OF INTERACTION
RULES
MORAL ISSUE –
An issue that can be resolved only by making a moral decision.
For Example:
Automobiles introduces – motorcycle
fast speed -> pleasure & save time
speed limit -> save the lives of pedestrians.

9. COMPARISION OF INTERACTION
RULES
CONCEPTUAL ISSUE –
When the morality of an action is agreed upon but it is uncertainty
about how it should be codified into a clearly define law, rule &
policy.
Speeding is...
Without adverse driving conditions: speed > 70 mph
With adverse driving conditions:
speeds that will cause an accident

10. COMPARISION OF INTERACTION
RULES
APPLICATION ISSUE –
When it is unclear if a particular act violates a law, rule & policy.
For example: During a light rain, the motorist skids off the road and
has an accident. The policeman who arrives at the accident scene
must decide if she should cite the motorist for excessive speed. In
other words, the application issue is whether the light rain qualifies
as a n adverse driving conditions.

11. COMPARISION OF INTERACTION
RULES
FACTUAL ISSUE –
A morally relevant issue that can be resolved by gathering more facts.
I got stopped for speeding. Which was out of calibration, the police
radar gun or my speedometer

12. SETTLING CONFLICTS
Moral Issue (Most Abstract): depends on cultural values,
difficult to solve conflicts
Conceptual Issue
Applications Issue
Factual Issue (Most Concrete): clearly defined and
can easily be
solved

13. MORAL THEORIES
Tools for resolving moral issues:
Ethical Egoism
Utilitarianism
Rights Analysis

14. MORAL THEORIES
ETHICAL EGOISM –
Act in your enlightened self interest
For Example:
It’s okay to kill an attacker in self-defense.
In our building inspector example, if he were able to take bribe, there
is always a chance that he would be caught. Imprisonment and the
loss of job are certainly not worth $10,000.Therefore, he an argue it
is in his self-interest not to take bribe.

15. MORAL THEORIES
UTILITARIANISM –
Do the most good for the most people
Brakes fail.
Which way to turn?

16. MORAL THEORIES
UTILITARIANISM –
Happiness objectives function = 푖 퐵푒푛푒푓푖푡푠 − 퐼 퐻푎푟푚
Those functions that increases benefits and reduces harm are
considered best. To perform utilitarianism analysis:
1. Determine the target audience (e.g. individual, a company, or a society)
2. For each action, determine harms, benefits and importance to the target
audience.
3. Evaluate the happiness objective function for each action
4. Select the action that maximizes the happiness objective function.
For Example:
Inspector counts 10,000 & 50,000 as a benefits & death to the lives as a harm

17. MORAL THEORIES
RIGHTS ANALYSIS –Golden Rule
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
(equally respect each human being)
Rights Hierarchy
1. Life, physical integrity, mental health
2. Maintain purposeful fulfillment(e.g not to deceived, cheated,
robbed or defamed)
3. Increase purposeful fulfillment(e.g. right to self respect, to non-discrimination,
and to acquire property)

18. RIGHT ANALYSIS
For Example :
A Italian foreman who likes to tell Polish jokes. His Polish
subordinates are offended and complain to him. He counters that he
doesn’t mind Italian jokes, and proceed to tell one.
The Revised Golden Rule asked the foreman to put himself in the
shoes of his subordinates. Feeling the pain his subordinates
experience from the jokes, he would stop his offensive behavior even
though he is personally not offended by the jokes.

19. RIGHT ANALYSIS
For Example :
In our example of the building inspector who has offered a bribe, he
would know the correct action to take via rights analysis. His
accepting the $10,000 bribe may lead to a more fulfilling life for him,
but this is subordinate to the rights of those persons who may be
killed if the building collapses

20. MAKE MORAL DECISIONS WHEN
MORAL THEORIES DIVERGE
For Example:
1. Highway road to built- came in the way of some homes- they didn’t want
to sell but – but due to utilitarianism betterment of mankind is of great
priority.
2. Two brother – one sick and kidney to be transplant & other healthy and
matched tissue with sick one. So utilitarianism says to save the life of sick
brother, but here the right decision says that to protect individual rights.
Although there are no algorithms to tell us exactly what to do, a
reasonable approach to making decisions when moral theories
diverge is to use utilitarianism unless an individual’s right are
seriously violated.

21. THE ETHICAL ENGINEER
1. Protect the public safety, health and welfare
2. Perform duties only in the areas of competence
3. Be truthful and objectives
4. Behave in a n honorable and dignified manner
5. Continue learning to sharpen technical skills
6. Inform the proper authorities of harmful, dangerous or illegal activities
7. Be involved with civic and community affairs
8. Avoid conflict of interest
9. Protect confidential information
10. Protect the environment
11. Don’t accept bribes
12. Provide honest hard work to employees and clients

22. RESOURCE ALLOCATION
For example:
Considered well meaning legislation designed to reduce the amount
of carcinogens released by the chemical industry
$1 to save one person life
It would be better spent on cancer research -> hundreds and
thousands of life would be saved