Engineering Ethics

Instructor
Eng. Mohammed Alsaeed Othman

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 Lecture 00
Orientation

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 Course content
• Introduction
• Professionalism and Codes of Ethics
• Understanding Ethical Problems: Moral Framework
• Moral Reasoning: Ethical Problems Solving Techniques
• Commitment on Safety: Risk and Accident
• Workplace Responsibilities and Rights
• Trust and Trustfulness
• Ethical Issues
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 References
1. Charles B. Fleddermann (2012), Engineering Ethics,
4th Edition, Prentice Hall
2. Mike W. Martin and Roland Schinzinger (2010),
Introduction to Engineering Ethics, 2nd Edition,
MacGraw-Hill Higher Education
3. Charles E. Harris, Michael S. Pritchard, and Michael J.
Rabins (2009), Engineering ethics: Concepts and
Cases, 4th Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
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 Course evaluation
• Test 15 marks (Topics 1 – 3)
• Case study 15 marks (Group of 5)
• Final Exam 70 marks

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 Groups
• To: mrslmathuo@gmail.com
• Subject: Engineering Ethics Groups
• Body:
• Department: (Ele/Per/Min/Chem)
• Group members:
1. Index – Name
2. Index – Name
3. Index – Name
4. Index – Name
5. Index – Name
• Group leader:
• Name
• Index
• Mobile
• Email

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 Lecture 01
Introduction
References:
1. Charles B. Fleddermann (2012), Engineering Ethics, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall
• Chapter 1
2. Mike W. Martin and Roland Schinzinger (2010), Introduction to Engineering
Ethics, 2nd Edition, MacGraw-Hill Higher Education
• Chapter 1.1

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 Lecture Content
1. Ethics and Excellence in 7. Why Study Engineering
Engineering Ethics?
2. Background Ideas 8. Ethics Problems Are Like
3. Micro and Macro Issues Design Problems
4. Dimensions of Engineering 9. Personal Vs. Professional
Ethics
5. Potential Moral Problems
10. The Origins of Ethical
6. What Is Engineering Thought
Ethics?
11. Ethics and the Law
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 1. Ethics and Excellence in
Engineering
Moral Values
• Moral values are standard for excellence
• Not external burden
• In combining myriad design goals and constraints, engineering
projects integrate multiple moral values connected with those
goals and constraints.
• safety, efficiency, respect for persons, and respect for the
environment
• Give rise to ethical dilemmas
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 1. Ethics and Excellence in
Engineering
Ethical dilemmas
• Ethical dilemmas are:
• Situations in which moral reasons come into conflict, or in
which the applications of moral values are problematic,
and it is not immediately obvious what should be done.
• Solving ethical dilemmas and making moral choices
• Technical skill and morally good judgment need to go
together in.
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 1. Ethics and Excellence in
Engineering
Excellence
• “Arete” translates into English as “excellence” or as
“virtue:
• The combinations:
• Competence and conscientiousness, creativity and good
character
• Technical skill and morally good judgment

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 2. Background Ideas
Ethics
• Ethics is:
• The study of the characteristics of morals.
• Ethics also deals with:
• The moral choices that are made by each person in his or
her relationship with other persons.

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 2. Background Ideas
Engineering ethics
• Engineering ethics is (narrow definition)
• The rules and standards governing the conduct of
engineers in their role as professionals.
• Engineering ethics is (broad definition)
• A body of philosophy indicating the ways that engineers
should conduct themselves in their professional capacity.

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 3. Micro and Macro Issues
Micro Issues
• Concern the decisions made by individuals and
companies in pursuing their projects.

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 3. Micro and Macro Issues
Macro Issues
• Concern more global issues, such as the directions in
technological development, the laws that should or
should not be passed, and the collective
responsibilities of groups such as engineering
professional societies and consumer groups.

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 4. Dimensions of Engineering
Progression of Engineering Tasks
• There is moral complexity in engineering as a product
develops from a mental concept to physical completion.
• Engineers encounter both moral and technical problems
• Variability in the materials available to them,
• The quality of work by coworkers at all levels,
• Pressures imposed by time and the whims of the marketplace,
• Relationships of authority within corporations.

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 4. Dimensions of Engineering
The Words of Herbert Simon
• “Design is usually the kind of problem solving we call ill-
structured . . . you don’t start off with a well-defined goal. Nor
do you start off with a clear set of alternatives, or perhaps any
alternatives at all. Goals and alternatives have to emerge
through the design process itself: One of its first tasks is to
clarify goals and to begin to generate alternatives”
• Figure 1 below : Progression of engineering tasks ( ideal
progression, — typical iterations)
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 5. Potential Moral Problems
• Lack of vision,
• Incompetence among engineers carrying out technical tasks.
• Lack of time or lack of proper materials, both ascribable to poor management.
• A silo mentality that keeps information compartmentalized rather than shared
across different departments.
• The notion that there are safety engineers somewhere down the line to catch
potential problems.
• Improper use or disposal of the product by an unwary owner or user.
• Dishonesty in any activity
• Inattention to how the product is performing after it is sold and when in use.

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 6. What Is Engineering Ethics
Normative Senses
• Justified values, desirable (not merely desired) choices, and
sound policies,
• Ethics is synonymous with morality.
• Consists of the responsibilities and rights that ought to be endorsed by
those engaged in engineering, and also of desirable ideals and personal
commitments in engineering.
• Ethics is the activity (and field) of studying morality
• Is the study of the decisions, policies, and values that are morally
desirable in engineering practice and research.
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 6. What Is Engineering Ethics
Descriptive sense
• What specific individuals or groups believe and how
they act, without implying that their beliefs and
actions are justified.

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 7. Why Study Engineering Ethics?
• The direct aim is to
• Increase our ability to deal effectively with moral complexity in
engineering.
• Strengthens our ability to reason clearly and carefully about
moral questions.
• The unifying goal is
• To increase moral autonomy.
• Autonomy means Self determining – Moral autonomy can be viewed as
the skill and habit of thinking rationally about ethical issues on the basis of
moral concern and commitment.
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 7. Why Study Engineering Ethics?
Moral autonomy skills
1. Moral awareness
2. Cogent moral reasoning
3. Moral coherence
4. Moral imagination
5. Moral communication
6. Moral reasonableness
7. Respect for persons
8. Tolerance of diversity
9. Moral hope
10.Integrity

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8. Engineering Is Managing the Unknown
• One source of the ethical issues encountered in the course of
engineering practice is a lack of knowledge.
• When something is new, many questions need to be answered.
• How well does it work? How will it affect people? What changes will this
lead to in society? How well will this work under all of the conditions
that it will be exposed to? Is it safe? If there are some safety concerns,
how bad are they? What are the effects of doing nothing?
• The answers to these questions are often only partly known.
• So, to a large extent, an engineer’s job is to manage the
unknown.
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8. Engineering Is Managing the Unknown
How does an engineer accomplish this?
• Really, as an engineer you can never be absolutely
certain that your design will never harm anyone or
cause detrimental changes to society.
• Must test your design as thoroughly as time and resources
permit to ensure that it operates safely and as planned.
• Must use your creativity to attempt to foresee the
possible consequences of your work.
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 9. Ethics Problems Are Like Design
Problems.
Similarities
• No unique correct solution to most of the problems we will examine,
• There will be a range of solutions that are clearly right, some of
which are better than others.
• There will also be a range of solutions that are clearly wrong.
• Both apply a large body of knowledge to the solution of a problem,
and both involve the use of analytical skills.
• Approaches to the problems and the ultimate solution will be very
similar to those in engineering practice.
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 10. Personal vs. Professional Ethics.
• Personal ethics deals with how we treat others in our
day-to-day lives.
• Many of these principles are applicable to ethical situations
that occur in business and engineering.
• Professional ethics often involves choices on an
organizational level rather than a personal level.
• Involve relationships between two corporations, between a
corporation and the government, or between corporations
and groups of individuals.
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 11. The Origins of Ethical Thought.
• The Western ethical thought originated in the philosophy
of the ancient Greeks and their predecessors.
• It has been developed through subsequent centuries by many
thinkers in the Judeo–Christian tradition.
• The non-Western cultures have independently developed
similar ethical principles.
• Personal ethics are rooted in religious beliefs, this is not
true for everyone.

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 12. Ethics and the Law.
• The practice of engineering is governed by many laws on the
international, federal, state, and local levels.
• Many of these laws are based on ethical principles, although
many are purely of a practical, rather than a philosophical,
nature.
• Many things that are legal could be considered unethical.
• Just because something is illegal doesn’t mean that it is unethical.
• Our interest is in areas where ethical principles conflict and there
is no legal guidance for how to resolve the conflict.
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