Professional Ethics: As An Engineer

Professional ethics
As an engineer
What is meant by ethics?
 Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves

systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong
conduct.
What is professional ethics?
 Professional ethics concerns the moral issues that arise because of the
specialist knowledge that professionals attain, and how the use of this
knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public
 Anyone who promises to deliver and delivers as promised without giving up
his/her own values is a professional.
 Professional ethics is about the code of conduct on moral issues pursued by
persons sharing the same skill, trade or occupation.
Five ethical principles
 Respect Autonomy It is assumed that individuals have the right to

decide how they live their lives, as long as their actions do not interfere with
the welfare of others. One, therefore, has the right to act as a free agent,
and has freedom of thought and choice.
 Do No Harm The obligation to avoid inflicting either physical or

psychological harm on others may be a primary ethical principle.
 Benefit Others There is an obligation to improve and enhance the

welfare of others, even where such may inconvenience or limit the freedom
of the person offering the assistance.
Ethical principles …..
 Be Just To be just in dealing with others assumes equal treatment of all,

to afford each individual his or her due portion, and in general, to observe
the golden rule.
 Be Faithful One should keep promises, tell the truth, be loyal, and
maintain respect and civility in human discourse. Only in so far as we sustain
faithfulness can we expect to be seen as truly trustworthy
My future profession – engineering
 The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop

structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works
utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same
with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under
specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics
of operation or safety to life and property
Engineering ethics
 Study of human morality

 Determining values in human conduct
 Deciding the “right thing to do” - based upon a set of norms
In engineering
 dealing with colleagues
 dealing with clients
 dealing with employees
 dealing with “users’
 dealing with public
Typical Ethical Issues that Engineers
Encounter
 Safety
 Acceptable risk
 Compliance
 Confidentiality
 Environmental health
 Data integrity
 Conflict of interest
 Honesty/Dishonesty
 Societal impact
 Fairness
 Accounting for uncertainty, etc.
Two Dimensions of Ethics in Engineering
 Ethics is part of engineering for two main reasons:
1. Engineers need to be socially responsible when building products and

processes for society.
2. Social responsibility requires professional responsibility.

The Engineering Code of Ethics
 The Engineering Code of Ethics has three components:
1. The Fundamental Canons: which articulate the basic components of ethical

engineering.
2. The Rules of Practice: which clarify and specify in detail the fundamental
canons of ethics in engineering.
3. Professional Obligations: which elaborate the obligations that engineers have.

Some disaster examples
Boston Molasses Disaster

 The Boston Molasses Disaster, also known as the Great Molasses Flood and
the Great Boston Molasses Tragedy, occurred on January 15, 1919, in
the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts in the United States. A
large molasses storage tank burst, and a wave of molasses rushed through the
streets at an estimated 35 mph (56 km/h), killing 21 and injuring 150.
Space shuttle challenger
KEY DATES
 1974 - Morton-Thiokol awarded contract to build solid rocket boosters.
 1976 - NASA accepts Morton-Thiokol's booster design.
 1977 - Morton-Thiokol discovers joint rotation problem. November 1981 - O-ring erosion
 discovered after second shuttle flight.
 January 24, 1985 - shuttle flight that exhibited the worst O-ring blow-by.
 July 1985 - Thiokol orders new steel billets for new field joint design.
 August 19, 1985 - NASA LevelI management briefed on booster problem.
 January 27, 1986 - night teleconference to discuss effects of cold temperature on booster
 performance.
 January 28, 1986 - Challenger explodes 72 seconds after liftoff.
The golden rule
 Confucius: What you do not want done to yourself, do not do unto others.
 Aristotle: We should behave to other as we wish others to behave to us.
 Judaism: What you dislike for yourself, do not do to anyone.
 Hinduism: Do nothing to thy neighbor which though wouldst not have him do
to thee thereafter.
 Islam: No one of you is a believe unless he loves for his brother what we
loves for himself.
 Buddhism: Hurt not others with that which pains thyself.
 Christianity: Do unto other as you would have them do unto you.
 Social Justice: Do unto others as they would like to have done unto them.
Rule of the thumb
We judge other people by their actions and

we judge ourselves by our intent.
Never judge others by your values and allow

others to judge you by theirs.
Prepared by
Laxman kunwor (库娃）

191061210

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Professional ethics

 Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves

 Respect Autonomy It is assumed that individuals have the right to

 Do No Harm The obligation to avoid inflicting either physical or

 Benefit Others There is an obligation to improve and enhance the

 Be Just To be just in dealing with others assumes equal treatment of all,

 The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop

 Study of human morality

 Ethics is part of engineering for two main reasons:

1. Engineers need to be socially responsible when building products and

2. Social responsibility requires professional responsibility.

 The Engineering Code of Ethics has three components:

1. The Fundamental Canons: which articulate the basic components of ethical

3. Professional Obligations: which elaborate the obligations that engineers have.

Boston Molasses Disaster

We judge other people by their actions and

Never judge others by your values and allow

Laxman kunwor (库娃）

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