Diversity in Ethical Reasoning &
the Art of Teaching - Philosophy
Richard Burgess, M.A.
Deputy Director
Murdough Center for Engineering Professionalism
And
National Institute for Engineering Ethics
2012
On the Value of Philosophy
 “The value of philosophy is, in fact, to be sought largely in
its very uncertainty. The man who has no tincture of
philosophy goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices
derived from common sense, from the habitual beliefs of his
age or his nation, and from convictions which have grown
up in his mind without the cooperation or consent of his
deliberate reason. To such a man the world tends to
become definite, finite, obvious, common objects rouse no
questions, and unfamiliar possibilities are contemptuously
rejected”
 Bertrand Russell from The Problems of Philosophy (New
York: OUP, 1969)
Discussion I
 What’s so special about human beings? What
makes us worthy of special moral and ethical
consideration?
 Is there a particular characteristic? Several? If
so, what are they and why are these
important?
Discussion II
 What is happiness? What is well-being? Are
these distinct?
 Is happiness more than just contentment?
 Are all forms of happiness equally valid? Can
someone be mistaken about being happy?
Discussion Highlights
 Notice the dialectic
– The Socratic Method
– Flow
 Critical discussion without personal criticism
(judgment vs. being judgmental)
 Interactive and engaging
 One principle, multiple origins
Philosophy and Diversity
 Our claim: philosophical inquiry, including
discussions about ethics, can promote diversity
and equity. It can do this in two ways:
– Direct: Philosophical inquiry is capable of critically
examining the nature and extent of our biases. We can
talk about the ethical underpinnings of equity.
– Indirect: Philosophical discussion often reveals that we
have more in common than we realize – biases
diminish and disappear as a sense of “otherness”
becomes more illusory.
Philosophy – What is It?
• What is philosophy?
• What do you think about philosophy?
• Defining philosophy (dispelling confusion)
– What philosophy is not:
• Waxing profound with little substance
• Life “philosophy”
• Business “philosophy”
– What philosophy is:
• Defined by the questions it asks
• Defined by its method
Philosophy – Questions
• Philosophical questions – fundamentally
important and sometimes uncomfortable
– What is the good life?
– Does God exist and, if so, what is the nature of
God?
– What role does and should technology play in our
lives?
– What is truth?
– What is beauty?
Philosophy – Method
• “If you have 5 philosophers, you’ll get 6
opinions”
• The philosophical method
– A willingness to critically examine everything; even
the nature and value of philosophical inquiry itself
– Systematic
•
•
•
•
Conceptual analysis
Looking for patterns and generalizability
Looking for inconsistencies
Rigorous and rational (but not necessarily devoid of
emotion)
Philosophy - Disciplines
• Who can and should do philosophy?
– Everyone!
– The role of philosophers
• Philosophical Disciplines
– Logic
– Epistemology
– Aesthetics
– Metaphysics
– Ethics
Philosophy and K-12 Education
 In the early 70’s there was an effort to introduce philosophy into
middle and high schools
 “Since philosophy traditionally has been taught only at the college
level in the United States, it might be thought that it can be suitable
for only a small segment of students at pre-college levels—the two
percent of students who are classified as “gifted and talented.”
However, Philosophy for Children programs have shown themselves
to be remarkably successful in drawing virtually all students in the
classroom together in inquiry. Teachers are often surprised, and
pleased, to see many of their most reticent, “underachieving”
students actively join in the discussion of philosophical ideas.”
(Pritchard)
 The value of philosophical inquiry – it is critical thinking epitomized
Ethics: The science of morals
• Important methodological cue above
• Teaching ethics – talking about what is the
case
– More than just exposure to issues
– More than just expressing views
• Traditional goals – emphasis on the first two
– Increase ethical sensitivity
– Strengthen ethical reasoning
– Foster behavioral change - caveat
Some Distinctions
 Description vs. Prescription
– Description: discussing what is the case. Often falls
under social sciences
– Prescription: discussing what should be the case.
 Principles: Statement vs. Origins
– Examples:
• Kantian principles and Christianity
• Aristotle and Jesus
 Making a judgment vs. being judgmental
Getting the Conversation Started
 One tried and true method – start with several thought provoking
questions.
 The Socratic Method
 Questions to consider in the context of engineering/technology:
1. What materials and resources are needed to build, operate, and
maintain the technology in question?
2. Who will use this technology?
3. Besides those people using the technology, who else might be affected
by it?
4. What else might be affected?
5. What will we do with the technology once it is outdated/not being used
anymore?
 Integrate these questions with more technically oriented ones
Sources of Guidance
 Why case studies/examples are not enough
 Religious beliefs
 Codes of Ethics:
– National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)
– Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
– American Chemical Society (ACS)

Fundamental principles – today’s focus
– P1: The right thing to do is to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of people
– P2: Persons should be treated not merely as means, but as ends-in-themselves
– P3: Right and wrong is not only about performing a certain action, but about being a the right
kind of person (cultivating the right virtues)
• Moral virtues
• Intellectual virtues
• Role virtues
– These principles not only provide guidance, but help us identify issues to begin with.
– Conflicting prescriptions and “teachable moments”
• Eminent Domain
Challenges – Some ‘isms
• Relativism: “it’s true for me but not for him…”
• Absolutism: “this is THE way…full stop”
• Simplism: “We should just protect the health,
safety, and welfare of the public.”
• Legalism: “As long as we are following the law,
we are ok…”
Ethics in the K-12 Classroom
 Stepping on parental territory
 The difficulty of talking about ethics:
– Time
– Confidence
– Effectiveness
 “Facilitating a…discussion does not mean dominating it; it is important for
teachers to allow their students to develop their own ideas. Teachers are
not expected to provide, or even have, answers to all the questions. They
can share puzzlement with their students, be open to unexpected but
suggestive responses to the questions they and their students pose, and
take pleasure in observing the exchanges students have with each other.
This means shedding the traditional role of teacher as lecturer and
answer-giver.” (Pritchard)
Activity
• Design a lecture, project, and/or assignment
with a significant ethics component
• Should include follow-up/teachable moments
including, ideally, some critical discussion
• Possibilities:
– Projects
– Social Impact Analysis
Philosophy as Therapy
 “The Hellenistic philosophical schools in Greece
and Rome – Epicureans, Skeptics, and Stoics – all
conceived of philosophy as a way of addressing
the most painful problems of human life…They
practiced philosophy not as a detached
intellectual technique dedicated to the display of
cleverness, but as an immersed and worldly art of
grappling with human misery.”
- Martha Nussbaum from The Therapy of Desire:
Theory and Practice in Hellenistic Ethics
(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994)