Ethical Dilemmas
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Situations in which moral reasons/ moral values come in to conflict
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The applications of moral values are unclear
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Its not immediately obvious what should be done
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Comprises small portion of moral choices
Heinz’s Dilemma
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In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There
was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of
radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug
was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the
drug cost him to make. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000
for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to
everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together
about $ 1,000 which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his
wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But
the druggist said: "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make money
from it." So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man's store to steal
the drug for his wife. Should the husband have done that?
VALUES
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Humans have the unique ability to define their identity, choose their values and establish their beliefs.
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All three of these directly influence a person’s behavior
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“A value is defined as a principle that promotes well-being or prevents harm.”
Types of Values
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The five core human values are:
1)RIGHT CONDUCT are:
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(a) SELF-HELP SKILLS: Care of possessions, diet, hygiene, modesty, posture, self
reliance, and tidy appearance
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(b) SOCIAL SKILLS: Good behavior, good manners, good relationships, helpfulness, No wastage, and good
environment
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(c) ETHICAL SKILLS: Code of conduct, courage, dependability, duty, efficiency, ingenuity, initiative, perseverance,
punctuality, resourcefulness, respect for all, and responsibility
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2. PEACE : Attention, calmness, concentration, contentment, dignity, discipline, equality, equanimity,
faithfulness, focus, gratitude, happiness, harmony, humility, inner silence, optimism, patience, reflection,
satisfaction, self-acceptance, self-confidence, self-control, self-discipline, self-esteem, self-respect, sense control,
tolerance, and understanding
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3. TRUTH : Accuracy, curiosity, discernment, fairness, fearlessness, honesty, integrity (unity of thought, word, and
deed), intuition, justice, optimism, purity, quest for knowledge, reason, self-analysis, sincerity, sprit of enquiry,
synthesis, trust, truthfulness, and determination.
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4. LOVE : Acceptance, affection, care, compassion, consideration, dedication, devotion, empathy, forbearance,
forgiveness, friendship, generosity, gentleness, humanness, interdependence, kindness, patience, patriotism,
reverence, sacrifice, selflessness, service, sharing, sympathy, thoughtfulness, tolerance and trust
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5. NON-VIOLENCE:
(a) PSYCHOLOGICAL: compassion, concern for others, consideration, forbearance, forgiveness, manners,
happiness, loyalty, morality, and universal love
(b) SOCIAL: Appreciation of other cultures and religions, brotherhood, care of environment, citizenship, equality,
harmlessness, national awareness, perseverance, respect for property, and social justice.
Designing Aluminum Cans
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Designing Aluminum Cans
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1958 by Kaiser Aluminum
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To improve on heavier &more expensive tin cans
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Flexible material with bottom and sides of it coming from a single sheet leaving top to be added after filling
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Strength
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Cost effective
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Easily fit in hand
Aim
Issues
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Opening Mechanism
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Separate Opener
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Extra Cost
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Inconvenience
Cap development
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Fraze 1959 invented , Small Lever on the cap
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Issues
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Lip and Nose injuries jagged edges of the opening
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Billions of discarded pull tabs caused
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Pollution
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Foot injuries
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Harm to fish and infants who ingested them
Ethical Dilemma
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Balance Usefulness to Consumers with Protection of Environment
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1976 Daniel designed Stay-attached Opener
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Improvements still continue today
Learning Outcome Statements
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How engineering progress by learning from design failures
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How moral values are embedded in the design process at all stages
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Decision having purely technical and economical outlook
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Moral Dimensions in four general direction
Moral Dimensions
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Safety
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Moral worth of human beings
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Extensive testing is required
Environmental Protection
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Detached can openers
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Injuries to fish and infants
Consumer Usefulness
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Water the basic need
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Convenient Shape, easy to use
Economic Benefits
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Money matters morally
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Jobs provide the livelihood for workers and their families
Steps in Resolving Ethical Dilemmas
Activities that are carried out jointly and in repeating patterns
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Moral Clarity
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Conceptual Clarity
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Informed about the facts
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Informed about the options
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Well Reasoned