ENGINEERING

SOCIETY
DJJ40132
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOME

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

 Implement the roles of engineering profession towards
the developing of society and its challenges in
globalization (C3,PLO6)
 Determine the important of work ethics, bylaws and
professionalism in engineering profession. (C4,PLO8)
 Determine the needs for sustainable and green
engineering towards providing the solutions in
engineering field. (C4,PLO7)
TOPIC 3:
PROFESSIONAL
ETHICS
3.1 Determine engineering
professionalism

3.2 Discover the philosophy

of ethics and ethical theory

3.3 Explore the values and

issues in professional ethics.
Engineering Professionalism

 The concept of professionalism - the expression of the

ideals by which our profession should strive to serve the
community - has occupied our professional forebears a
good deal, and the ideas set out here are drawn from
them in large measure.
 In outlining the distinctive marks of professional life, what
follows could appear to be too idealistic.
 But surely the concept of professionalism must be based
on an ideal.
Profession

 The word "profession" connotes a learned calling having

a special body of knowledge and skill, distinctive
functions and recognised obligations.
 To the layman, a professional man has a mystique arising
from functions and language not understood, and from
the tendency of professionals to form themselves
together into exclusive brotherhoods.
 A profession is much more than a recognised
occupation; it carries with it the ideas of advanced
learning and a special way of life, involving a corporate
group of practitioners from which the profession is
constituted.
Professionalism

 Professionalism is a way of thinking and living rather than

an accumulation of learning.
 Professionalism cannot be taught by stating a code of
ethics nor by memorising a set of rules.
 A strong professional sense is of undoubted benefit to
the profession concerned in terms of morale and
vocational satisfaction.
 It is also a fact that the community benefits when it is
served by a professional whose standing is recognised,
in terms both of status and rewards.
Engineering

 Engineering, is a unique profession in which all of the

marks of the professional man have crucial importance,
one must have high-level skills and must develop
different skills as the career advances; one must have a
strong motivation for service, because everything will
impinges on the community in some way or other.
 Motivations for self-expression and high professional
standards must exist from junior levels upwards.
Ethics

 Ethics means something more than "law" and "morals"; it

carries an additional connotation of "right ess".
 The Code, therefore, is not a list of rules to govern every
problem of conduct, nor is it a broad statement of
ideals.
 It is a statement of the principles of "rightness", of broad
scope, and with enough detail to enable an intelligent
man to deduce for himself the course of his own
professional conduct.
 The English word ethics is
derived from the Ancient
Greek word ēthikós (ἠθικός),
meaning "relating to one's
character", which itself comes
from the root
word êthos (ἦθος) meaning
"character, moral nature".
 This word was transferred into
Latin as ethica and then into
French as éthique, from which
it was transferred into English.
 The word ethics in English
refers to several things.
 It can refer to
philosophical ethics or
moral philosophy - a
project that attempts to
use reason to answer
various kinds of ethical
questions.
What is engineering ethics ?

 The rules of conduct and standards governing conduct

and practice involving professional in engineering.
 Ethics are principles followed depending upon the moral
responsibility that a person feels. The study of related
questions about moral ideals, character, policies and
relationships of people and organizations involved in
technological activity, can be termed as Engineering
ethics.
Why are ethics in science
important?
 There are several reasons why it is important to adhere
to ethical norms in research. Norms promote the aims of
research, such as knowledge, truth, and avoidance of
error.
 For example, prohibitions against fabricating, falsifying,
or misrepresenting research data promote the truth and
minimize error.
Why are engineering ethics
important?
 Engineering is an important and learned profession.
 As members of this profession, engineers are expected
to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
 Engineers must perform under a standard of professional
behavior that requires adherence to the highest
principles of ethical conduct.
Why is science and engineering
important?
 Science builds knowledge of how the natural world
works, engineers use that knowledge to develop useful
technologies, and these technologies may, in turn,
provide key observations and tools that
help scientists build even more knowledge of the natural
world.
What are the 4 ethical theories?

 Four broad categories of ethical theory

include deontology, utilitarianism, rights, and virtues.
 The deontological class of ethical theories states that
people should adhere to their obligations and duties
when engaged in decision making when ethics are in
play.
What is ethical decision
making?
 Ethical decision-making refers to the process of
evaluating and choosing among alternatives in a
manner consistent with ethical principles.
 The process of making ethical decisions requires:
Commitment: The desire to do the right thing regardless
of the cost.
Why is it important for engineers
to be ethical?
 Engineering is an important and learned profession. As
members of this profession, engineers are expected to
exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
 Engineers must perform under a standard of professional
behavior that requires adherence to the highest
principles of ethical conduct.
Ethical issues in engineering
 Advertisements.
 A moral issue can be understood as an issue to be
resolved not only by considering the technical stuff but
also by keeping moral values in mind. To be more precise,
lets consider the definition in general.
 Social and ethical issues in engineering, ethical principles
of engineering, professional code of ethics, some specific
social problems in engineering practice: privacy and
data protection, corruption, user orientation, digital
divide, human rights, access to basic services.
Responsibilities of engineers and
why it’s to important society
 Engineering is one of the key influences that shapes
our society. Engineers don't just work with machines,
designs and electronics, they use maths and science to
provide innovation and inventions that shape
our society and improve the way we live and work.
 Engineers' prestige in the society is their creativity,
innovation, passion, ability to focus and always
inquisitive and curious to finding solutions to problems. A
career in engineering affords the opportunity to make a
difference, afford them job security and trying out new
technology.
Ethical Dilemmas

 There occurs a usual dilemma between conflicts of

interest and conflicting interests. To get a clear understanding
between both, let us consider two examples.
 Example 1
Let us consider a girl who needs to choose from among her
interests in order to fit in her timetable. She wants to attend the
exam in college, to attend the music class, to go out for a
movie, to deliver a seminar and also go visit her friend. As she is
falling short of time, it is her interest to choose what to do and
what not. The term used to mention this can be “Conflicting
interests” and this cannot be morally wrong.
 Example 2
If another instance is considered where a man works for
a company, being in some crucial position where he
has access to all the confidential information and if he
works as an unofficial adviser to his wife’s company, it
would be morally wrong, where a moral conflict
definitely arises. This can be termed as “Conflict in
interests”.
Conflicts of Interest

 A person may have different types of interests. Such

interests can be pursued according to the will,
convenience and the laws prevailing.
 A person working in an organization might have multiple
interests related to the job he is doing; if he does some
side business which means he might be a competitor or
he might work with a competitor, it might pose a
problem for the employer. Such an employee is usually
fired from the organization.
 Thus, we can refine our definition of conflicts of
interest by saying that they typically arise when the
following two conditions are met .
 The professional is in a relationship or role that requires
exercising good judgment on behalf of the interests of
an employer or client.
 The professional has some additional or side interest that
could threaten good judgement in serving the interests
of the employer or client.
Engineering Ethics - Moral
Dilemmas
 At times, the situations occur where one cannot make
immediate decisions as the moral reasons come into
conflict.
 The moral reasons can be rights, duties, goods or
obligations, which make the decision making complex.
Types of Complexities

 The difficulties in arriving to a solution, when segregated,

can be divided into the following three sections.
 Vagueness
This refers to the condition where the doubt lies in
whether the action refers to good or bad. This is just like
having a thought that following the rules is mandatory.
This sometimes includes the unwritten rules like being
loyal, having respect, maintaining confidentiality, etc.
 Conflicting reasons
When you know about the solutions you have, the
making of better choice among the ones you have, will
be the internal conflict. Fixing the priorities depends
upon the knowledge and the moral values one has. The
reason why the particular choice is being made, makes
sense.
 Disagreement
When there are two or more solutions and none among
them is mandatory, the final solution selected should be
best suitable under existing and the most probable
conditions. The interpretation regarding the moral
reasons behind the choice and analysis should be
made keeping in mind whether this is the better or the
worse solution in the probable aspects.
Steps to Deal with Issues

 Whenever there occurs an issue, one should possess a

few skills in order to sort out the problem. The issues that
engineers face, have to be dealt with patience and few
moral goals have to be kept in mind while dealing with
such issues. They are as follows:

 Moral Awareness − One should be able to recognize the

moral problems and issues that occur in Engineering. The
analysis on the problem is necessary in order to
differentiate and judge according to ethics or
according to the rules to follow.
 Cogent Moral Reasoning − In order to come to a
conclusion on an issue, the argument has to be assessed
and comprehended. The argument on both sides has to
be considered with all the probabilities and the nature
of the argument should be logical and moral.

 Moral Coherence − After having gone through all the

logical and moral facts, consistent and comprehensive
view points are to be formed based upon a
consideration of relevant facts.
 Moral Imagination − The moral issues and the practical
issues have to be dealt separately. Alternative responses
are to be found out for dealing with moral issues while
creative solutions should be found out for practical
difficulties.

 Moral Communication − The language to communicate

about one’s moral views should be so precise and clear,
that the expression or words should not alter the original
meaning.
THANK YOU