Engineering Ethics
Engineering Ethics
Engineering ethics is study of the following :
Moral issues and decisions faced by
individuals and organizations involved in
engineering ,and
Questions with respect to moral ideals,
character ,policies adopted by individuals and
organizations that are involved in
technological activity .
Different meanings of engineering
ethics
a) First meaning
Engineering ethics is an activity or discipline
that aims to understand the following :
 Moral values that help in guiding various
engineering practices .
 Way in which moral issues are resolved in
the field of engineering ,and
 Justifying the moral judgments that are
related to the field of engineering .
Different meanings of engineering
ethics (cont.)
Second Meaning
Engineering ethics is a subject that deals with the following :
 Moral problems and issues that are specific to the field of
engineering .
Third Meaning
Engineering ethics is a subject that deals with the
following:
 The codes and standards that are presently used and
those that are approved by recognized group of engineers
and societies .
 Customs and beliefs in the field of engineering .
Different meanings of engineering
ethics (cont.)
Fourth meaning
Engineering ethics is a subject that deals with the
following :
 Moral principles that have been justified by
those in the field of engineering .
 Finding such moral principles and using them in
today’s real situations
 Here the emphasis is on moral correctness .if
moral correctness is ensured ,then it is ethical or
else it is unethical.
Different approaches to the
engineering ethics
There are two approaches to the engineering ethics
namely micro-ethics and macro-ethics .
 Micro ethics deals with problems an engineer might
face in his day -to- day activities .
 Macro ethics focuses on problems faced by the
society that are not brought to the notice of the
nation as a whole until it becomes a major disaster .
 Study of both levels of issues (micro and macro ) is
very much essential .It is always wise to remember
the saying “A stitch in time saves nine “
Profession and professionalism
An engineer’s work has honours and liabilities .
The honours are :
 It is a great profession .
 Engineers convert imaginations in to reality.
 They create jobs and contribute significantly to elevate the standard of
living of the society.
The liabilities are :
 Engineers work can be seen by all ,that is ,they can’t hide things like a
doctors ,lawyers or politicians .
 That is, when some thing goes wrong as a result of their work ,it is very
difficult for engineers to get away .
But today ,in general the liability part mentioned above is not true to its
core .
This is because , engineer’s work is less visible to the public than earlier days
.
Profession and professionalism(cont.)
More than ever before ,today the number of
engineers is large in most of the companies.
These engineers dominant image is a servant
to the organization they work for and not as
public guardians.
Hence it becomes necessary to understand the
term profession and professionalism.
There are different senses or meanings to the
term profession.
Profession and professionalism (cont.)
Sense 1
 In this sense ,profession means a job or an
occupation .
 Professional means any person who earns his
living through such a job.
Sense 2
In this sense ,profession applies only to certain
jobs (occupations) that meet the following
requirements.
Profession and professionalism (cont.)
Requirements
 Knowledge : The work should involve, use of special skills,
theoretical knowledge (require formal education)
 Organization : There should be some special society (or
organization) for the following :
 To control the members of the profession .
 Set standards for admission to the profession.
 Draft and enforce codes of ethics .
 Represent the profession to the public/government .
Public good: The occupation should contribute some important
aspects of the public good as spelt by the code of ethics.
EX. Medicine-to promote health
Law -to protect public legal rights
Engineering -to promote public health ,safety and welfare
Membership Criteria
For being a professional engineer ,the criteria
is as follows :
• Degree in engineering
• Perform work commonly recognized for
engineers.
• Register as a professional engineer.
• Act in morally responsible way(by following
codes of conduct )
Professionalism
Professionalism ,that is , persons who practice engineering
as a profession have to meet two criteria .
a) Should attain standards of achievements in
 Education and
 Job performance
b)Be morally responsible towards the society, employer,
clients ,colleagues and subordinates.
That is, professionalism is defined by the service to some
important aspect of the public good ,with the back
ground of having the need full theoretical and practical
knowledge .
The prime aim of the profession of engineering is to promote
public good (that is ,public safety ,health and welfare).
Professional and ordinary morality
• Ethical theories and all ordinary moral philosophies
focus on the same aspects and bind engineers to
consider and implement things that are good to the
public.
• The justifications given by both ethical theories and
ordinary moral philosophies are one and the same .
• Hence to be straight forward ,engineers should
consider service to public (with respect to safety ,
health and welfare ) as their moral responsibility in
spite of the same being stated as obligations under
the subject of professional ethics. It is to considered
so because they are basic human rights.
Conclusion
Profession is founded on the principle that its members may be
relied upon to conduct their work in a manner that will reflect
credit on themselves and honor to the profession .Although this
principle is universally understood ,its importance ,more usually
recognized in cases of professional misconduct .It is therefore
necessary that every learned profession should define ,and
enforce among its members ,strict rules of professional conduct .
The professionals have an obligation to serve the public interest.
Individually members must maintain and observe the highest
standard of conduct .The standing of the profession depends on
the judgment of individual professional .Every individual
professional must act in a manner which upholds the reputation
and integrity of the profession.
Thank you for attending the class
and for your participation !!