Reece Brownell
ENGR-2392-D02
28 August 2020
Short Essay 1
There are currently over one-and-a-half million engineers in the United States, some of
which make decisions in their day-to-day work that can change the world in a multitude of ways.
In such an influential and essential field, these engineers must uphold an ethical obligation to the
safety and welfare of the public, and to their fellow engineers.
First and foremost, I expect an ethical engineer to be qualified for the work that they are
doing. Certification provides reliability in an engineer, by being recognized by other engineers in
their field. With this, engineers can operate only in fields in which they are competent, which
results in less accidents and less poorly designed projects. Qualification also assures a certain
level of skill within an engineer and creates confidence in a client that a job will be completed.
Secondly, an ethical engineer should hold the public’s safety and health paramount. Over the
centuries, immense trust has been placed in engineers, because they are so often an integral part
of society. This trust goes both ways, thus requiring engineers to have a moral obligation to
uphold the safety of the people before attempting to improve it. Lastly, ethical engineers must
have a level of respect for the natural world and its inhabitants. Engineers should not commit to
any undertaking that will undermine humanity’s heritage or the well-being of the Earth.
Especially in recent times, this has become a much more pressing matter. Over the years, the
environment has been degraded, in part due to a myriad of revolutionary technologies developed
by engineers. Times have changed, and the environmental capacity of the earth is dwindling. I
expect the ethical engineers of the future to incorporate environmental concerns into their work
much more frequently.
In conclusion, there is a lot to expect of ethical engineers, they must uphold the trust of
entire nations. However, I believe communication of this trust and putting forth work to better
improve the world defines an ethical engineer.