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1 Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic Department of Computer Science and Engineering Mälardalen University PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CD5590
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Page 1: PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN SCIENCE AND … Engineering as Social Experimentation “All products of technology present some potential dangers, and thus engineering is an inherently risky

1

Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Mälardalen University

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

CD5590

Page 2: PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN SCIENCE AND … Engineering as Social Experimentation “All products of technology present some potential dangers, and thus engineering is an inherently risky

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Professional And Ethical Responsibilities

Page 3: PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN SCIENCE AND … Engineering as Social Experimentation “All products of technology present some potential dangers, and thus engineering is an inherently risky

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Ethics

Ethical theory is the study of ethics at a conceptual level.

Applied ethics is aimed at the everyday life of the typical person.

Professional ethics is aimed at a person engaged in the practice of a particular profession.

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Professional Ethics is about Relations

between practicing professionalsbetween employee and employerbetween professionals and their clients and on specialized technical details of the professions

Page 5: PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN SCIENCE AND … Engineering as Social Experimentation “All products of technology present some potential dangers, and thus engineering is an inherently risky

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Family(Private Sphere)

Global environment

Society/Nature

Engineering firm

Engineer Colleagues

Managers

ClientsConsumers

Industry(Other firms)

Profession(Societies)

Ethics Contexts

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Engineering as Social Experimentation

“All products of technology present some potential dangers, and thus engineering is an inherently risky activity. In order to underscore this fact and help in exploring its ethical implications, we suggest that engineering should be viewed as an experimental process. It is not, of course, an experiment conducted solely in a laboratory under controlled conditions. Rather, it is an experiment on a social scale involving human subjects.”

Ethics in Engineering, Martin, Schinzinger, McGraw-Hill, 1996

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Why learn Professional Ethics?

Ethics is a crucial part of the idea of professionalism!

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Computing Curricula 2001, ACM/IEEE

Social context of computingMethods and tools of analysis of ethical argumentProfessional and ethical responsibilitiesRisks and liabilities of safety-critical systemsIntellectual propertyPrivacy and civil libertiesSocial implications of the InternetComputer crimePhilosophical foundations of ethics

Page 9: PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN SCIENCE AND … Engineering as Social Experimentation “All products of technology present some potential dangers, and thus engineering is an inherently risky

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Studying Codes of Ethics: The Goal

Acquiring skill in practical ethicalreasoning in a professional domain

Developing the ethical autonomy, i.e. the ability and the habit to think rationally and critically about the ethical questions.

Page 10: PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN SCIENCE AND … Engineering as Social Experimentation “All products of technology present some potential dangers, and thus engineering is an inherently risky

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Studying Codes of Ethics: The Method

Importance of professional knowledgeand role-specific professionalobligations in resolving professionalethical conflictsGeneral principles necessary to comprehend and apply professionalcodes of ethicsCase based reasoning with applyingand interpreting codes

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Association of Computer Machinery (ACM)Code of Conduct (1)

1. General Moral Imperatives

1.1 Contribute to society and human well-being1.2 Avoid harm to others1.3 Be honest and trustworthy1.4 Be fair and take action not to discriminate1.5 Honor property rights including copyrights and patents1.6 Give proper credit for intellectual property1.7 Respect the privacy of others1.8 Honor Confidentiality

http://onlineethics.org/codes/ACMcode.html

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ACM Code of Conduct (2)

2. More Specific Professional Responsibilities

2.1 Strive to achieve the highest quality, effectiveness and dignity in both the process

2.2 Acquire and maintain professional competence

2.3 Know and respect existing laws pertaining to professional work

2.4 Accept and provide appropriate professional review

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ACM Code of Conduct (3)

2.5 Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systems and their impacts, including analysis of possible risks

2.6 Honor contracts, agreements, and assigned responsibilities

2.7 Improve public understanding of computing and its consequences

2.8 Access computing and communication resources only when authorized to do so

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ACM Code of Conduct (4)

3. Organizational Leadership Imperatives

3.1 Articulate social responsibilities of members of an organizational unit and encourage full acceptance of those responsibilities

3.2 Manage personnel and resources to design and build information systems that enhance the quality of working life

3.3 Acknowledge and support proper and authorized uses of an organization's computing and communications resources

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ACM Code of Conduct (5)

3.4 Ensure that users and those who will be affected by a system have their needs clearly articulated during the assessment and design of requirements. Later the system must be validated to meet requirements

3.5 Articulate and support policies that protect the dignity of users and others affected by a computing system

3.6 Create opportunities for members of the organization to learn the principles and limitations of computer systems

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ACM Code of Conduct (6)

4. Compliance with the Code

4.1 Uphold and promote the principles of this Code

4.2 Treat violations of this code as inconsistent with membership in the ACM

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Whistle Blowing

"Whistle Blowing" is when an employee tells on an employer who is breaking the law. Employees who blow the whistle on their employers are protected by law. If they are fired or otherwise retaliated against for whistle blowing, they can sue.

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Whistle Blowing

To actually "Whistle Blow", the employee must tell of the illegal act to someone outside the company. It must be a government or law enforcement agency.If the employee just complains to someone inside the company, that is not whistle blowing, and the employee is not protected by the whistleblower laws. However, the employee may be protected under other laws. For example, it is illegal to fire someone for complaining of sexual harassment or discrimination.

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Whistle Blowing

It is not necessary that the employer actually broke the law. The employee could be whistle blowing on something that isn't illegal in the first place. The employee is still protected from retaliation or termination.However, the employee must believe that he or she is reporting a violation of the law, and the employee's belief must be reasonable.

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Whistle Blowing

If the employee has reported the allegedly illegal activity to agovernment or law enforcement agency, he or she is protected. The employer cannot retaliate against the employee. The employer cannot fire the employee for the whistle blowing. The employer cannot mistreat the employee for whistle blowing.This does not mean that after whistle blowing, the employee cannot be fired for any reason. The employer can continue to treat the employee like any other employee. But the employer cannot treat the employee differently because of the whistle blowing.

Obviously, if the employee whistle blows on Monday and is fired on Tuesday, it suggests that the employee was retaliated against for making the report.

http://www.discriminationattorney.com/whistle.html

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In-Class Activities

General introduction, about half an hour.Introduction to the discussion: questions/case studiesDiscussionSummary

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In-Class Activities: Case StudiesYou start presenting the case studies and asking specific questions

conected to it.

Add general questions about different views of the problem from different ethical approaches:

- virtue ethics- duty etics/ deontological ethics- utilitarian perspective- justice ethics- social contract aspects- conscience- ethics egoism- respect- rights- gender perspective if applicable

You decide what way to include that into the discussion.


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