This is on ethical decision-making and goes over several methods for making decisions

1. ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING IN
ENGINEERING
MAE 3600 Engineering Professionalism & Ethics
Week 2

2. Ethical Decision-Making in Engineering
• Understanding and applying ethical principles is crucial in
engineering.
• This lecture provides tools for ethical decision-making.
• Focus on practical applications in real-world scenarios.

3. Overview
• Preliminary Sorting: Understanding factual, conceptual,
application, and moral issues.
• Ethical Approaches: Line Drawing, Creative Middle Way,
Utilitarianism, Respect for Persons, and Virtue Ethics.
• Application and Examples: How to apply these methods
with real-world examples.

4. Preliminary Sorting in Ethical Decision-Making
• Ethical decision-making involves multiple layers.
• Begin with sorting issues into factual, conceptual,
application, and moral categories.
• This process clarifies the problem before applying ethical
approaches.

5. Factual Issues
• What it is: Questions about the truth of statements or
existence of facts.
• Purpose: Establish a clear and accurate understanding of
the situation.
• Steps:
1. Gather data and verify facts.
2. Separate facts from assumptions.
• Example:
In a safety review for a new engineering project, a key factual issue
might be whether the materials selected meet all safety standards
under extreme conditions.

6. Conceptual Issues
• What it is: Clarifying the meaning of key terms and
concepts.
• Purpose: Ensure shared understanding to avoid
ambiguity.
• Steps:
1. Define key terms.
2. Discuss definitions with stakeholders.
• Example:
In discussions about safety, it’s crucial to clarify whether safety refers
to complete elimination of risk or to reducing risk to an acceptable
level.

7. Application Issues
• What it is: Determining how concepts apply to specific
situations.
• Purpose: Connect facts and concepts with the specific
ethical questions.
• Steps:
1. Interpret how ethical concepts apply to the facts.
2. Evaluate the relevance of these concepts to the situation.
• Example:
Deciding on the level of acceptable risk in a project involves applying
the concept of safety to the specific conditions and challenges of that
project.

8. Moral Issues
• What it is: The core ethical dilemmas or conflicts needing
resolution.
• Purpose: Identify the key ethical questions that must be
answered.
• Steps:
1. Recognize competing interests or values.
2. Frame the moral issue that requires an ethical decision.
• Example:
A moral issue might involve deciding whether to prioritize a project’s
deadline or the safety of workers, especially when there are known
risks.

9. Line Drawing Approach
• What it is: A method for resolving moral issues by comparing
a controversial case with clear (paradigm) cases.
• Purpose: Helps in making a moral judgment by placing the
case on a spectrum between clear-cut examples of right and
wrong.
• Steps to Apply:
1. Identify the relevant features of the controversial case.
2. Compare these features with those of clear paradigm cases.
3. Determine where the controversial case falls on the spectrum.
• Shortfalls:
• Can be subjective; different people might place the case differently on
the spectrum.
• Requires clear paradigm cases, which may not always be available.

10. Line Drawing Approach: Example
• Scenario: An engineer is offered a trip by a vendor after
recommending their product for a project.
• Line Drawing Analysis:
• Compare the offer with clear cases of bribery and non-bribery.
• Place the engineer’s situation on the spectrum based on the size of
the gift, timing, and potential influence.
• Determine whether accepting the offer is closer to a bribe or an
acceptable gift.
• Example Shortfall:
• Subjectivity in placing the situation on the spectrum may lead to
different conclusions among different individuals.

11. Creative Middle Way Approach
• What it is: A method for finding solutions that satisfy as
many conflicting moral demands as possible.
• Purpose: Helps in resolving dilemmas where no single
action perfectly satisfies all moral requirements.
• Steps to Apply:
1. Identify the conflicting moral demands.
2. Brainstorm possible solutions.
3. Evaluate each solution to see which one best satisfies the
conflicting demands.
• Shortfalls:
• May result in a compromise that satisfies no one fully.
• Requires creativity and may not always yield a clear solution.

12. Creative Middle Way Approach: Example
• Scenario: A factory produces affordable fertilizer, critical
for local farmers, but releases nitrogen pollution into
nearby water sources, harming the environment. Fixing
the pollution immediately would make the fertilizer too
expensive for farmers.
• Creative Middle Way Solution?:
• Continue operating the factory but invest in research for a more
economical way to reduce pollution over time.
• This approach balances the need to protect the environment with
the economic needs of the farmers.
• Example Shortfall:
• The compromise may still allow some environmental damage,
which might not be acceptable to all stakeholders.

13. Utilitarian Approach
• Focuses on maximizing overall good.
• Weighs benefits and harms.
• Common in cost-benefit analysis.
• Steps to Apply:
1. Identify all possible actions and their consequences.
2. Estimate the benefits and harms for each action.
3. Quantify the benefits and harms as much as possible.
4. Compare the net benefits (benefits minus harms) of each action.
5. Choose the action that maximizes the overall good for the most people.
• Shortfalls:
• May sacrifice individual rights for the greater good.
• Difficult to accurately quantify all benefits and harms.
• Risk of overlooking minority or vulnerable groups if the majority benefits.

14. Utilitarian Approach: Example
• Scenario: Emission of pollutants from a plant.
A utilitarian might justify allowing the emission of pollutants from a plant
that will severely harm a few people if the benefits from the plant, such as
providing good jobs and boosting the local economy, outweigh the harms
to the few.
• Utilitarian Analysis?:
• Assess the overall economic and social benefits against the health risks.
• Calculate whether the economic benefits to the community justify the
health risks to the affected individuals.
• Choose the option that maximizes overall well-being, even if it results in
harm to a small group.
• Example Shortfall:
This approach could lead to unjust outcomes, as it might prioritize
economic benefits over the severe health consequences for a minority
group.

15. Respect for Persons Approach
• Emphasizes individual rights.
• Respects autonomy and dignity.
• Involves fair treatment and non-exploitation.
• Steps to Apply:
1. Identify the rights and dignity of all individuals involved.
2. Ensure that actions respect these rights and do not exploit anyone.
3. Consider the autonomy of individuals in decision-making.
4. Avoid actions that would treat individuals as mere means to an end.
5. Choose actions that uphold fairness and respect for all individuals.
• Shortfalls:
• Can be rigid in upholding rights, even when there are broader societal
benefits at stake.
• Conflicts may arise when individual rights clash with collective needs.
• Difficult to prioritize rights when they conflict between different groups.

16. Respect for Persons Approach: Example
• Scenario: Compensation for occupational disease.
A worker's health was severely damaged by exposure to hazardous
conditions at work*. The respect for persons approach would emphasize
the worker's right to health and demand compensation, regardless of the
economic costs to the company.
• Respect for Persons Analysis:
• Prioritize the worker's right to fair compensation and a safe working
environment.
• Reject any action that sacrifices the worker’s health for economic gain.
• Ensure that the worker's dignity and autonomy are respected, even if it
incurs higher costs for the company.
• Example Shortfall:
While upholding the worker's rights, this approach might result in
significant financial burdens for the company and could potentially lead to
job losses if the company struggles to cover the costs.

17. Virtue Ethics Approach
• Focuses on moral character – original philosophy – Plato & Aristotle
• Encourages ethical habits and virtues.
• Suitable for open-ended situations.
• Steps to Apply:
1. Identify the virtues relevant to the situation (e.g., honesty, responsibility).
2. Reflect on how a person of good character would act in this situation.
3. Cultivate the habit of acting according to these virtues.
4. Evaluate the consistency of actions with these virtues.
5. Make decisions that align with virtuous behavior.
• Shortfalls:
• Subjective: What counts as virtuous can vary between individuals and cultures.
• Does not provide clear guidance for resolving conflicts between virtues (e.g.,
honesty vs. compassion).
• May not provide enough structure in highly regulated or complex situations.

18. Virtue Ethics Approach: Example
• Scenario: Job interview dilemma.
A chemical engineer is faced with a dilemma about interviewing for a job
at a company that conflicts with his personal beliefs about environmental
protection.
• Virtue Ethics Analysis:
• The engineer must consider virtues such as honesty, integrity, and
loyalty.
• He could (a) refuse to interview, (b) interview and be honest about his
views, or (c) interview and misrepresent his views to get the job.
• The virtuous choice would align with honesty and integrity, even if it
means not getting the job.
• Example Shortfall:
While acting with integrity, the engineer might face financial difficulties if
he doesn’t get the job, which could impact his ability to support his family.

19. Application of Moral Theories
• Use theories to analyze ethical dilemmas.
• No one-size-fits-all solution.
• Choose the approach that best fits the situation.
• Steps to Apply:
1. Review the ethical dilemma and relevant details.
2. Select the ethical theory that best applies to the situation.
3. Analyze the dilemma using the chosen theory.
4. Consider alternative theories if the situation is complex.
5. Make a decision that is consistent with the most appropriate ethical theory.
• Shortfalls:
• Different theories may lead to conflicting recommendations.
• Combining multiple theories may complicate decision-making.
• Each theory has limitations that may not address all aspects of the dilemma.

20. Application of Moral Theories: Example
• Scenario: A new technology has potential privacy concerns.
• Option 1: Proceed with the technology and manage privacy risks later.
• Option 2: Delay the project to address privacy concerns upfront.
• Combined Analysis:
• Utilitarianism: Assess the overall benefits of the technology against
privacy risks.
• Respect for Persons: Consider the rights of individuals to privacy.
• Virtue Ethics: Reflect on the virtues of responsibility and transparency.
• Decision: Choose the option that best balances the benefits, respects
individual rights, and aligns with virtuous behavior.
• Example Shortfall:
Balancing multiple ethical approaches may lead to indecision or overly
complex solutions, making it hard to prioritize the best course of action.

21. Summary
• Ethical decision-making requires understanding and
sorting issues before applying approaches.
• Line Drawing, Creative Middle Way, Utilitarianism,
Respect for Persons, and Virtue Ethics offer different
lenses for analysis.
• Each method has strengths and limitations.
• Real-world examples help in understanding how to apply
these methods effectively (Case Studies!).

22. Next Time: Responsibility in Engineering
• We will explore the standards of care, legal liability, and
moral responsibility in engineering, focusing on how
engineers can fulfill their professional obligations while
navigating complex challenges.