What does ethics have to do with
engineering?
Engineering 10
Spring 2008
Who I am (and how to contact me)
• Dr. Janet D. Stemwedel,
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
(but also a Ph.D. in physical chemistry)
• jstemwed@email.sjsu.edu
• “Adventures in Ethics and Science”
http://scienceblogs.com/ethicsandscience/
Ethics aren’t just something
philosophers care about
Ethics are considerations that make it
possible to “do the job” of engineering in
the first place.
Engineering: a field where
knowledge & technology
are created.
What kind of ethics are necessary to build
reliable knowledge?
Reliable knowledge requires:
• Honesty about results of experiments/tests
• Clarity and completeness in describing
procedures, testing conditions, materials,
etc.
• Honesty about error bars/tolerances
• Taking account of the available information
-- and where it came from (proper citation)
• Objectivity
Engineering: a field where
knowledge & technology
are created.
What kind of ethics are necessary to create
responsible and sustainable technology?
Responsible technology:
Responsibility to whom?
• End-user (counting on it to do what it’s
supposed to do)
• People who could be affected by its use
• People who could be affected by its
production
Responsibilities are ethical considerations!
Sustainable technology:
Why care about sustainability?
• State of raw materials (plentiful or scarce,
renewable or non-renewable)
• Impact of production, use
• Availability of the technology
Ethical considerations with regard to other
people, future generations, the environment!
Why are you here talking to us
about ethics?
Are you assuming we’ll be unethical unless
you tell us not to?
We’re NOT evil!
Clicker Question
Which of the following best describes your view on
ethics?
A. As long as it doesn’t break a law, it’s ethical.
B. It’s just a matter of personal beliefs.
C. Doing business and being ethical are in direct
competition.
D. Being ethical can help professional and
personal interactions.
Why isn’t it enough
not to be evil?
“Most evil acts are committed not by villains
but rather by decent human beings -- in
desperation, momentary weakness, or an
inability to discern what is morally right
amid the discordant claims of
circumstances.”
Why isn’t it enough
not to be evil?
“The determination to be good may be
molded at an early age, but we grapple all
our lives with the definition of what is good,
or at least acceptable.”
--Samuel Florman (an engineer)
Being ethical isn’t automatic
• Requires knowledge
• Requires deliberation about different
things you could do
• Benefits from consultation with others
(OBJECTIVITY)
Engineering as a profession
Connection between individual behavior and
community behavior.
(What I do as an engineer may influence
other engineers -- and how others view
engineers as a group!)
Engineering as a profession
• Not just a job
• People with special training
• People with special duties -- to engineers
and to non-engineers!
Professional Codes recognize these duties.
Clicker Question
To whom is an engineer responsible?
A. Client
B. Employer
C. Public
D. Other engineers
E. All of the above
The Fundamental Canons
1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety,
health and welfare of the public in the
performance of their professional duties.
2. Engineers shall perform services only in
the areas of their competence.
The Fundamental Canons
3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in
an objective and truthful manner.
4. Engineers shall act in professional matters for
each employer or client as faithful agents or
trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.
The Fundamental Canons
5. Engineers shall build their professional
reputation on the merit of their services and shall
not compete unfairly with others.
6. Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold
and enhance the honor, integrity and dignity of
the profession.
The Fundamental Canons
7. Engineers shall continue their professional
development throughout their careers and shall
provide opportunities for the professional
development of those engineers under their
supervision.
To whom does the engineer
have duties?
•
•
•
•
•
The public
Clients
Professional peers (i.e., other engineers)
The profession
Himself/herself
The profession as a community with a culture
Why does the engineer
have so many duties?
• Specialized training gives specialized
knowledge
• Others depend on this knowledge
Some of the things engineers ought to do are
things only engineers can do!
Ethical problem solving as a skill
• Familiarity with codes vs. how to apply
them
• Gets easier with practice
• Working through “case studies” can
prepare you to deal with real situations
more effectively
What should we do about
defective chips?
Chris is a production line engineer in charge of
quality control in a factory that produces
chips. Chris’s team has been checking each
chip on the line and finding defective chips
once every 150 chips. Chris is trying to
decide whether to discard the defective chips
or to send them back to the line to be
repaired.
What should we do about
defective chips?
Chris’s manager Alex initially tells Chris to
discard the defective chips. Alex says,
“We only make 25 cents off of each chip
anyway. Spending an additional $2.00
to repair a chip is a waste of money.”
What should we do about
defective chips?
Later in the week, though, Alex returns to
the line and tells Chris, “Your line is
discarding too many chips. One chip
every 150 is unacceptably high – it’s
starting to cost the company a lot of
money! We’re better off letting the
chips go out without testing them at all.”
What should we do about
defective chips?
Chris asks, “What about the defective
chips? Won’t our customers
complain?”
What should we do about
defective chips?
Alex responds, “Yeah, but that’s not your
problem. The company’s returns
department will replace them as customers
complain. Anyway, our profits will be much
higher doing it this way, and if we don’t,
the amount of money this production line
flushes down the drain threatens your job
and mine.”
What should we do about
defective chips?
Still thinking about Alex’s warning, Chris
reads an announcement that the
company has just gotten an order for
20,000 chips from a local company that
plans to use the chips in aircraft
navigation units. Chris knows that
these units always have back-up
navigation systems, but still …
What should we do about
defective chips?
Should Chris follow Alex’s suggestion
to stop testing the chips? Why or
why not?
(What alternative course of action
might Chris suggest to Alex, and how
might this course of action be
defended?)
Clicker Question
Should Chris follow Alex’s direction to stop
testing the chips?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Don’t know
What should we do about
defective chips?
At stake in Chris’s decision:
Duties to the company, Alex, workers
on the line, customers, …
What Chris knows (or can find out) as
an engineer.
What should a good engineer do
here?
Next time:
• Build an “ethical toolbox” to use in making tough
decisions
• Strategy for approaching case studies
**Take the ethics survey (Blackboard)
**Read the case studies (Blackboard) and start to
think about what YOU would do.
(After next time, you’ll discuss the case studies
online.)