Engineering 10
Professional
Ethics
Bruce Mayer, PE
Licensed Electrical & Mechanical Engineer
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
1
Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Development of Prof. Ethics
 OutLine
•
•
•
•
The Nature of Ethics
Definition of “Ethics”
Definition of an Ethically Based “Profession”
Short History of Professional Ethics
– Oaths
– Code(s) of Ethics
• Brief History of Engineering code(s) of Ethics
• SIMILARITIES to Ethics in Other Professions
• DIFFERENCES from Ethics in Other Professions
• Conclusion
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
The Nature of Ethics
 Ethics is generally concerned with rules
or guidelines for morals and/or
socially approved conduct
 Ethical standards
generally apply to
conduct that can or
does have a
substantial effect
on people’s lives
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Ethics Defined
 General Ethics
The study of the general nature of morals
and of the specific moral choices to be
made by a person; moral philosophy
 Professional Ethics
The rules or standards
governing the
conduct of a person or
the members of a profession
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
General Ethics Theories
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Utilitarianism
Duty Ethics
Rights Ethics
Virtue Ethics
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Utilitarian Ethics J. S. Mill (1806-1873)
 Considers a balance of
good & bad consequences for
everyone affected (society)
 Actions are good that serve to
promote human well-being OverAll
• Cost-Benefit analysis is an application
 Consideration of the most benefit to the
most people outweighs needs of
a few individuals
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Duty Ethics Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
 There are duties that should be
performed regardless of whether
these acts do the most good or NOT
 Kant believed that there are higher
principles that are good in every time, every
culture, and every situation. When faced with
an ethical dilemma, Kant believed we should
ask ourselves: “To whom do I owe a duty
and what duty do I owe them?”
• e.g.; Duty to treat others fairly,
or not to injure others
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Rights Ethics John Locke (1632-1704)
 Locke Believed that ALL PERSONS
are born FREE and EQUAL
 Thus INDIVIDUALS
have fundamental
rights (such as:
life, liberty, &
property) that
others have a
duty to respect.
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Virtue Ethics
 Virtue-based ethics places less emphasis on
rules and instead focuses on good character
traits, such as kindness and generosity.
• These character traits will, in turn, allow a
person to make the correct decisions later in life
 Actions are considered right if they support
good character traits (virtues) and wrong if
they support bad character traits (vices)
• Closely tied to Personal Honor
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Examples  Personal Ethics
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DownLoad Pirated Software
Expense Account Padding
Copying of HomeWork
Income Tax “fudging”
“Borrowing” Nuts & Bolts,
office-supplies from employer
 Copying of Videos or Music
 Plagiarism (cut & paste from InterNet)
 Using the Copy Machine at Work
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
¿¿¿ Class Question ???

What are some of the Characteristics
of a Profession or a Professional?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
“Profession” Defined
 A “Profession” Differs from a
“Job”, an “Occupation”, or a even a
“Career”
 All professions combine
• special knowledge
• special privileges
• special
responsibilities
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
“Professional” Defined
 Professional skills are important to the
well-being of society. Professionals:
• Have autonomy in the workplace;
• They are expected to utilize their
independent judgment in carrying out
their professional responsibilities.
• Finally, professions are regulated by
ethical standards;
often embodied in
Codes of Ethics
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
“Professional” Summarized
 Possesses specialized
knowledge and skills
 Belongs to, and abides by, the
standards of a society
 Serves an
important
aspect of the
public good
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Engineering as a Profession
 Satisfies indispensable and beneficial need
 Discretion and judgment,
not subject to standardization
 Knowledge and skill not commonly
possessed by the general public
 Group consciousness promotes knowledge,
professional ideas, social services
 Legal status (P.E.’s are “Practice Regulated”)
 Well-formulated Standards Of Admission
 Practice Governed by a Code of Ethics
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Oaths (to Ethical Ideals)
 The PreCursor of Codes of Ethics
 Usually Based on Gentlemanly Honor
 First → Hippocratic Oath (400 BC)
• This Oath of Medical Ethics for Physicians
formed the basis of more recent medical,
and other, Oaths
 New York Oath (1807)
• An “UpDated” Version of the
Hippocratic Version
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
New York (Medical) Oath
“I do solemnly declare, that I will honestly,
virtuously, and chastely conduct myself
in the practice of physic and surgery, with
the privileges of exercising which
profession I am now to be invested; and
that I will, with fidelity and honor, do
everything in my power for the benefit of
the sick committed to my charge.”
• Note the Powerful commitment to
PERSONAL Honor
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Oaths are NOT Enough
 Examine Professional Oaths:
• Language used is very Subjective
• First person singular often used
– “I swear”
– “I declare”
– “I shall”
 An oath is subject to personal interpretation
 Oaths are too general to provide much
guidance
 Oaths are not suitable for large-scale
professional institutions.
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Codes of Ethics
 Thomas Percival (1740-1804)
Published a CODE of medical
ethics for physicians in 1794
• The FIRST code for professional ethics
 Percival’s was also the First code of
ethics to be adopted by a Professional
Organization - the
American Medical
Association (AMA)
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Codes of Ethics
 Percival’s code of ethics was UNlike oaths
• The Code Banished
– The first person singular
– Subjectivity
– Idiosyncrasy
 Replaced 1st Person with
the 2nd and 3rd person plural
 Formulated standards of
conduct with enumerated “DUTIES”
 Asserted the moral authority and
independence of medical professionals
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Codes of Ethics
 Modern Professions
adopted codes of ethics to:
• Promote Common Standards
• Minimize interpersonal strife that the
emphasis on individual honor encourages
• Provide a Conduct-Structure that permits
professionals to assert their independence
of their nominal employers in the name of
the Profession
– i.e., Service to OTHERS takes precedence
over Service to the EMPLOYER
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Engineering Codes of Ethics
 Two early engineering codes of ethics
• 1912 – first engineering code of ethics adopted by
the American Institute of Electrical Engineers - the
AIEE (Later the IEEE)
• 1914 – a code of ethics for engineers adopted by
the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
 The Early Codes Said a great deal about
• protection of the client’s or employer’s interest
• business relationships
• the ownership of data
 Had only little general concern for the
public safety, health, or welfare
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Engineering Code of Ethics
 The evolution of the Engineers' Council
for Professional Development
(ECPD – now ABET) code of ethics
• First version of the ECPD
code produced in 1947
• Emphasized concern for the
public well-being & safety
– “fidelity to the public”
– Engineer’s “duty to interest himself in public
welfare…apply his/her special knowledge for
the benefit of mankind”
 Lead to the writing of Similar Codes
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Similarity to Other Professions
 Focus on public safety and the safety of their
patients or clients or customers
 Emphasize that one should only attempt to
perform only those practices that which are in
the practitioner’s capability
 Focus on special care and attention for their
clients or patients or customers
 Keep up the level of competence in the Field
 Emphasize the importance of professionalism
 Denounce acts of deception or fraud
 Emphasize importance of
client/patient/customer confidentiality
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Differences from Other Prof’s
 The paramount duty of engineers is to:
• Safety, Health, and Welfare of the PUBLIC
 Physicians’ paramount duty is to the
PATIENT
 Engineering ethics focuses on the way
information is provided to the public
 Physicians most help those in
emergency situations
 Engineering ethics focuses more on
relationships between engineers
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Ethics Conclusion
 Ethics in professional lives is not new Ethics have been around for ages.
 Today every Profession has code(s) by
which their professionals must practice.
 Engineers are no exception. So
remember, A code of ethics isn’t
something that gets posted on a bulletin
board - It’s something every engineer
should live every day.
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Ethics is also GOOD BUSINESS
 The Mayer Axiom of Ethics
SLEAZE is NOT
a Strategy for
LONG TERM
SUCESS
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
All Done for Today
Ethical
Pressures
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Engineering 10
Appendix
f x   2 x  7 x  9 x  6
3
2
Bruce Mayer, PE
Licensed Electrical & Mechanical Engineer
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
29
Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt
Engineering-10: Intro to Engineering
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Bruce Mayer, PE
BMayer@ChabotCollege.edu • ENGR-10_Lec-20_Chp15_Ethics_History.ppt