Ethics Essay

Engineering is a discipline that involves creating solutions to real-world problems using

scientific and mathematical principles. However, these solutions should not only be technically
sound but also ethically sound. The field of engineering is responsible for creating products and
systems that affect society, and therefore it is crucial for engineers to consider ethical principles
when making decisions.
The IEEE Code of Ethics provides guidelines for engineers to follow when making
decisions. By following this code of ethics, engineers can ensure that they are maintaining their
obligations to society and clients and having a positive impact on all of these. When I am
making a decision, many of the things that I consider are highlighted in the IEEE Code of Ethics.
While I am not a professional engineer yet, I participate in undergraduate research, so I have
faced some ethical situations in an engineering context. For instance, I have to make the
decision to ask for help from a PhD student when I’m not sure how to proceed even if it slows
down my progress. In general, when I am making a decision, I consider the impact it will have on
the other people involved and the biases that I have that may affect it.
During class, we discussed several ethical issues in engineering, including conflicts of
interest, personal privacy, and environmental impact. We also discussed the responsibility of
engineers to report unethical behavior and to prioritize public safety over individual interests.
The ethical considerations introduced in class were similar to my own in that they emphasized
the importance of prioritizing public safety and minimizing environmental However, the class
also introduced new perspectives on ethical issues, such as conflicts of interest and breaches of
personal privacy. These perspectives highlighted the complex nature of ethical decision-making
in engineering and the need for engineers to be aware of potential ethical dilemmas in their
work. Overall, in our discussion we agreed that engineers have an ethical responsibility to
protect the environment, privacy, and public health. However, we disagreed on whether the
issues discussed were the result of engineer’s decisions or of higher-up management.
In the discussion, the case study that I focused on was the VW emissions issue. When
looking at the engineering virtue of ethics, the most applicable virtues are integrity, honestly,
and responsibility. The engineers involved did not uphold the virtue of honesty, as they
knowingly designed the cars to be able to cheat emissions tests. They also did not uphold
responsibility, since they were trusted to ensure the cars NOx emissions were at low levels so it
wouldn’t have a significant environmental impact. Integrity was also highlighted in the
Volkswagen’s emissions issue; they did not display moral uprightness in their decision to allow
the cars to have a negative impact on public health.
 Overall, ethical decision making in important in all areas of engineering, including
academics, research, and industry. The IEEE code of ethics and virtue of ethics are useful tools
for engineers to use when making decisions.