History of Ethical

Thought
 Introduction
• Brief history of ethical thought
• Ethical theories
• The Disaster at Bhopal
• The Titanic Tragedy
A brief History of Ethical Thought
• They come from the ancient Greeks and ancient
religious thinking and writing.
• Judaism and its foundations start the religious
thinking and writing.
• The written sources of the Jewish moral tradition ate
the Torah and the Old Testament of the Bible.
• Moral Laws and Ten Commandments are there.
• The Greek philosophers with the greatest influence
are Socrates and Aristotle.
Ethical thoughts
• Dharma – Duty
• Nyaya -is both philosophical and religious. Its
ultimate concern is to bring an end to human
suffering, which results from ignorance of
reality. Liberation is brought about through
right knowledge. Nyaya is thus concerned with
the means of right knowledge.
• Buddhism –Shila and Nirvana
Other Philosophies
• Confucianism
• Zarathustra
 Non-Western Ethical Thinking
• Chinese ethical philosophy originates with the writing of
Kongzi, more commonly known as Confucius (551-479
BCE)
• Emphasizes the importance of balancing individual rights
with the needs of the larger community: Mutual respect.
• The individual depends on the groups and so must take
group concerns into account
• But also the group must recognize its dependence on
individuals and must respect individual rights.
 Non-Western Ethical Thinking
• Ethics are not geographical or cultural
• Ethics standards are similar worldwide
• “When in Rome, do as the Romans” Not applicable to
personal morality
• In Arab countries: Foundations of ethical principles
grounded in traditions of Islam and Islam is very similar
to Christianity
• Ethical principles of Buddhists, Hindus, and all major
religions of world are similar.
 Non-Western Ethical Thinking
• Indian philosophical tradition are the oldest surviving
written philosophical systems in human civilization.
• Indian philosophical and ethical thinking have their
origins in the ancient texts known as the Vedas, further
developed through the Upanishads, Jainism, Buddhism,
and also expressed in the Bhagavad-Gita.
• Continued by Tagore, Gandhi, Nehru into the modern
world.
 Non-Western Ethical Thinking

“Indian ethics, instead of analyzing the

nature of good, lays down practical means of
attaining a life of perfection…”
(Sharma and Daugert, 1965).
 Non-Western Ethical Thinking
• Muslin Ethics is derived from principles set forth in the Qur’an.
• Specific virtues mentioned are humility, honesty, giving to the
poor, kindness, and trustworthiness.
• Qur’an also mentions vices such as boasting, blasphemy, and
slander.
• While blasphemy is only applicable in a religious context, the
other two vices do speak to engineering professional practice.
• For example, Codes of Ethics prohibit engineers from making
false claims about other engineers
 Non-Western Ethical Thinking
• Buddhist has its origins between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE.
• Is based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama also known
as Buddha.
• Buddhist speaks of five major vices: destruction of life; taking
what is not given; licentiousness, lying, and taking intoxicants.
• Also speaks of virtues such as friendship, spiritual
development, learning, mastery of skills, filial piety,
generosity, diligence, patience, and sense of proportion or
limits.
A brief History of Ethical Thought
• Greek ethical philosophic ideas were melted together
with early Christians and Jewish thought and were
spread throughout Europe and the Middle East during
the height of the Roman Empire.
A brief History of Ethical Thought
• The known history of pure ethics or ethics (moral)
theories begin with ancient Greek philosophers
(Sophists, Socrates, Socratic schools, Plato, Aristotle,
Epicurus, Stoics)
• And, after recovered by early English positivists has
been the main topic of discussions in the Medieval
times in Europe.
• As the scholastic doctrines are by-passed (therefore
Christian Ethics is not a scientific term anymore), we
come to the illuminated times after the Medieval, and
continue with Hobbes, the Father of Modern Ethics.
 Ethical Theories
Offer a framework for decision making.
Solving a problem is not cut and dried as problem solving.
There are relatively large number of theories to be considered
called Moral Theories.
Some of them are: Utilitarianism; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Duty Ethics
and Rights Ethics; Virtue Ethics; and Non Western ethical Thinking.
 MORAL THEORY

• Moral Theory: Defines terms in uniform ways

and links ideas and problems together in
consistent ways.
• Moral concept are organized like scientific
theories: organize ideas, define terms, and
facilitate problem solving.
• Moral concept is an important aspect in the
following theories...
 MORAL THEORIES
• Utilitarianism: Seeks to produce the most utility.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis.
• Duty Ethics: There are some duties that should be
performed.
• Rights Ethics: We all have moral rights that should
be protected.
• Virtue Ethics: Actions as right that manifest good
character traits and regards actions as bad that
display bad character traits.
 UTILITARIANISM
• I. What is it?
Good actions are those actions that
serve to maximize human well-
being.
• II. Benefits:
Maximizes positive affects for
many people.
• III. Downfalls:
Ignores the individual.
Difficult to predict consequences of
actions.
 UTILITARIANISM
The emphasis in
utilitarianism is not o
maximizing the well-
being of the individual,
but rather on maximizing
the well-being of society
as a whole, and as such
it is somewhat of a
collectivity approach.
UTILITARIANISM
 UTILITARIANISM
• Problem Solving Approach:
• Determine Benefits to Society.
• Determine Costs to Parties
involved.
• Compare Benefits to Costs.
• If Benefits to Society outweigh
Costs, then it is ethical to pursue
project.
Utilitarianism - Example Problems
Building Dams - Waste Isolation Pilot Plant
 Building Dams:
Benefits: Cost:

a) Stable flow of a) Relocation of flood-

drinking water. zone residents.
b) Flood control.
c) Recreational
opportunities
Result: Since the benefits of building the dam outweigh the
costs, it is profitable/ethical to build the dam.
 Utilitarianism – Two tenets
Act Utilitarianism – Focus on
action, not rules.
• John Stuart Mill (1806 –
1873)
• Believe that rules of
morality were derived from
trial and error throughout
the course of time.
• Believe that rules should be
broken in order to maximize
benefits to society.
Rule Utilitarianism – Focus on
moral laws, not on action.
• Believe that moral laws
take precedence over
action.
• Adhere that although
following rules might
not always maximize
benefits to society, it
will ultimately lead to
the most good overall.
 COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS
• What is it?
An Application of Utilitarianism
Goal is to maximize Benefit-to-Cost Ratio.
• Benefits:
Quantifiable method for analyzing ethical dilemmas.
• Downfall:
Similar to utilitarianism in that benefits are often difficult to
predict.
 COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS
• In cost-benefit analysis, the cost of a project are
assessed, as are the benefits.
• Only those projects with the highest ratio of benefits
to costs will be implemented.
• This principle is similar to the utilitarian goal of
maximizing the overall good.
 DUTY AND RIGHT ETHICS
• What are they?
Good actions are those that respect the rights of the
individual.
• Benefits:
Maximize positive effects for the individual.
• Downfalls:
Basic rights of one person may conflict with basic rights of
another person.
Doesn’t account for overall betterment of society.
 DUTY AND RIGHT ETHICS
• Duty
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
Ethical actions are those that
can be written as a list of
duties (e.g. “Be Honest, Be
Fair, etc.)
Rights Ethics
• Right Ethics
John Locke (1632-1704)
People have fundamental
rights that people have a
duty to respect.

“Both are already just two different sides of the same coin”
(Fleddermann, Ch. 2014, 42)
 Virtue Ethics
• What is a virtue?
A moral distinction and goodness.
In virtue ethics, actions are considered right if they support good
character traits (virtues) and wrong if they support bad character
traits (vices).
• Virtue Ethics determine what kind of people we should be.
• A virtuous person exhibits good and beneficial qualities.
• Personal morality cannot be separated from business
morality. If a person is virtuous in his personal life, then he
is also in his business life as well.
 Virtue Ethics
• In using Virtue Ethics, it is important to ensure that the
traits you identify as virtues are indeed virtuous and will
not lead to negative consequences.
• Example:
• Honor: (dignity, integrity, pride).
• This may seem good because of integrity but it might give you
negative consequences because of pride (wars to preserve
honor of nation).
 Personal vs. Corporate Morality
• Is there a distinction between the ethics practiced by an
individual and those practiced by a corporation?
• How can a company display human traits like honesty
and loyalty?
• While dealing with individuals, corporations should be
considered pseudo-moral agents and should be held
accountable in the same way that individuals are.
• A corporation must respect the rights of individuals and
should exhibit the same virtues that we expect of
individuals.
Which Theory to Use

• Rights Ethics indicate that this is unethical.

• Utilitarian Analysis indicates the same. Economic
benefits would be outweighed by negative effect of
pollution and costs to ensure a safe municipal
water supply.
• Virtue Ethics indicate this is irresponsible and
harmful.
• They all show the same conclusion.
 CASES
The disaster at Bhopal
The Aberdeen Three
Titanic Tragedy
 Disaster at Bhopal
• December 2, 1984
• Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India
• Leak developed in storage tank
• Toxic cloud of gas over surrounding area
• 2,000 Deaths200,000+ Injuries
• What happened:
• Accidental pouring of water into the tank
• Two pipes side-by-side
• Wrong pipe connected to tank
 Disaster at Bhopal
• Several Factors:
• Curtailment of plant maintenance
• Refrigeration unit
• Alarm system
• Flare tower
• Scrubbers
• Who to Blame?
• Plant Designers – Not at fault…Did job by anticipating
such problems
• Management – Obviously negligent
• Union Carbide – Negligent also
• Indian Government – Few safety standards
 Disaster at Bhopal
• Aftermath:
• Lawsuits filed totally over $250 billion
• Job training and relocation for accident victims
• Chairman charged with culpable homicide
• Estimated 10,000 people injured will suffer
permanent damage
 Titanic Tragedy
• April 14, 1912
• British Liner Titanic
• Crashed into an iceberg and sank off the coast of
Newfoundland
• 1,500 lives were lost
 Titanic Tragedy
• Several Factors:
• Warnings of ice not received or ignored
• Ship continued at full speed
• Not a sufficient amount of lifeboats
• Lifeboats launched partially occupied
• Wireless operator of nearby ship had retired for the evening
• Who to Blame?
• Ship’s Captain – Did not slow ship down
• Company – Did not change course of ship even when
warned of ice
• Designer – Not enough lifeboats
• Crew – Not proficient in emergency procedures
 Titanic Tragedy
• Aftermath:
• 1,500 deaths
• New measures to promote safety
• Regulations concerning lifeboats and
safety equipment
 References
• Fledderman, Ch. (2014). Engineering Ethics.
International Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall.
• Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. 2003.
www.search.eb.com
• Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science.
2004. http://onlineethics.org