Analysis of Ethics

When thinking on a field of professional skills such as engineering; technical skills and
practical knowledge come to mind first. Though, it is the oft not talked about subject of ethics,
that comprises every integral decision within engineering. At a time when technology continues
to exponentially proliferate, it is becoming increasingly important that the world around us is
being constructed in an ethical and honest manner. Thus, it is tantamount that engineers
uphold some Code of Ethics for the safety of the general public, and themselves.
While it is of relative ease that one may speak on ethical issues, it is another manner of
difficulty to make an ethical decision. From my personal experience, it has proven far simpler to
abide by ethical decisions, or at least take responsibility when you have breached a code of
conduct. The factors that influence me while making a difficult decision are primarily empathy
and integrity. I try to envision the consequences of my actions and I would be proud to stand by
the decisions that I’ve made. It is of utmost importance to myself that I do not have to live with
regrets from past choices that I have made.
Within my group meeting on ethics, hosted by Dr. Vik Dalal, we spoke primarily on
Volkswagen. The specific case study dealt with the mass recall of their vehicles for lying about
their emissions on tests. Volkswagen had significantly greater emissions than originally
reported. My group and I came to the similar conclusion that this was a huge breach of ethics
and held both the engineers and corporate board responsible. It is the engineer’s duty to
ensure that practices are being completed ethically and to report violations up the professional
ladder. They also have the opportunity to report a violation to the inspector general to remove
themselves with the consequences. We also all agreed that under no circumstances, should a
safety violation be allowed.
Upon reflecting on the Virtue of Ethics, there are three virtues that extensively relate
with our case study. These three being, Integrity, Honesty, and Responsibility. I chose these
virtues do to them revolving around open communication and visibility of information.
Volkswagen was guilty of misleading consumers, then further denying and not taking
responsibility of these claims. There aren’t really other virtues that apply to this particular case
study as it was specifically the dishonesty regarding emissions that proved to be an issue.