FOUNDATIONS OF ENGINEERING

CHAPTER # 2

Engineering Ethics

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.

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

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.

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 SITUATIONA 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 BEHAVIOURbad thought thinking – Not a law but it is equal to perform it in moral codes.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

MORAL THEORIES

Tools for resolving moral issues:

Ethical Egoism

Utilitarianism

Rights Analysis

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.

MORAL THEORIES

UTILITARIANISM –

Do the most good for the most people

Brakes fail.Which way to turn?

MORAL THEORIES UTILITARIANISM –

Happiness objectives function =

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 action4. 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

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)

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.

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

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.

THE ETHICAL ENGINEER1. 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

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