The document discusses engineering ethics and the moral values, issues, and decisions that relate to engineering practice. It states that engineering ethics provide guidelines for how engineers should behave with clients, their profession, the public, and the law. Engineers must take a proactive approach to engineering ethics by stimulating their moral imagination, recognizing ethical issues, developing analytical skills, and feeling a sense of responsibility. They are responsible for harms they intentionally, negligently, or recklessly cause through their work.

1. Dr. Hammond
Germanna Community College
Summer 2012

2.  Ethics (dictionary) “the philosophy of morals or the
standard of character set by any nation or race”
 Morals (dictionary) “pertaining to action with
reference to right and wrong”
 Engineering ethics:
“Study of Moral Values, Issues and Decisions as they
relate to Engineering Practice”

3. Set of standards adopted
Moral ideals shared
by professionals
by most members of
a culture or society
Set of one’s own ethical commitments
usually given in early home or religious
training

4.  Provide a common agreed-upon standard for
professional contact
 Do not provide new ethical principles but
incorporate a lot of what is found in common
morality
 Various Engineering Societies have their own code
of ethics
 ALL STRIVE TO:
“Provide a set of guidelines of how engineers should
behave with respect to clients, the profession, the
public, and the law”

5.  Analogous to Preventive Medicine
 Engineers must be PROACTIVE in their approach to
Engineering Ethics
 Core Elements
1. Stimulating the Moral Imagination
2. Recognizing Ethical Issues
3. Developing Analytical Skills
4. Eliciting a Sense of Responsibility

6.  Engineers must use technical expertise and
experience to look at design alternatives and
evaluate consequences
 Must only work on projects where they are
technically competent
“Engineers shall undertake assignments only when
qualified by education or experience in the
specific field involved”
Only by being technically competent can an
engineer stimulate their Moral Imagination

7.  Ethical Issues are not always obvious
 Example:
Team of Engineers working on the next generation
of hand guns. Should they integrate new safety
features, for example child safety locks, directly
into the weapon, or should they omit such
features leaving the safety of the weapon as
relates to minors, in the hands of the gun owner?

8.  No, not Quantitative skills -
Engineers are good at that
 Qualitative analytical skills
to analyze ethical situations
 Involves qualitative
measures such as
◦ Utility
◦ Rights
◦ Duties

9. Engineers are morally responsible for harms
they:
- intentionally [knowing and deliberately],
- negligently [unknowingly, but failing to
exercise due care]
or
- recklessly [aware that harm is likely to
result] cause”

10. July 17, 1981
114 Dead
200 Injured

12. If engineers had
evaluated
consequences
of design change
SIMPLE
CALCULATION
114 deaths would
have been avoided