engineering ethics - workplace experience - The University of ...

Engineering Ethics 

Professional Responsibilities 

or 

“Doing the Right Thing”

What is Ethics?

Defining Ethics 

Is it ethical? Is it legal? Is it moral?


• Ethics (from ancient Greece) 

– from the Greek word Éthos which means “the 

persuasive appeal of one’s character” 

– the keyword here is character


• Ethics (from Merriam-Webster) 

– the discipline dealing with what is good and 

bad and with moral duty and – a set of moral 

principles or values 

– a theory or system of moral values 

– the principles of conduct governing an 

individual or a group (e.g., professional ethics)


• Ethical (from Merriam-Webster) 

– of or relating to ethics 

– involving or expressing moral approval or 

disapproval 

– conforming to accepted professional standards 

of conduct

• Moral 

What are Moral Values? 

What is Morality? 

– of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior, 

good and bad behavior 

• Morality 

– a doctrine of system of moral conduct 

– particular moral principles or rules of conduct 

– conformity to ideals of right human conduct 

Ultimately, morality is about reasons centered in 

respect for other people as well as ourselves, reasons 

that involve their good as well as our own.

Working Definitions 

• Ethics 

– the rules and ideals for human behavior 

– they tell us what we ought to do 

• Engineering Ethics 

– the rules and ideals of the engineering 

profession

Meaning of Our Definitions 

So, what do we mean by Ethics? 

• a body of moral principles 

• a set of rules and behaviors 

• standards, rules and guidelines 

• socially approved conduct 

• respect for people and rights 

• distinguished from matters of legality

• Who decides 

Engineering Ethics 

– Standards adopted by professional community 

and established companies 

– NSPE, ASME, ASCE, ACM, IEEE, etc. 

– May conflict with personal ethics 

• Case studies 

– used to set standards 

– Provide real-world examples

Service 

Social Contract 

– Promoting well being of general public 

– Ensuring competence of professionals 

Self-regulation 

– Create and enforce high standards 

– Autonomy of the profession

Moral Reasoning

Ethics and the Law

Ethics and the Law 

Illegal & 

Ethical 

Illegal & 

Unethical 

Legal & 

Ethical 

Legal & 

Unethical

Developing a Well-Reasoned 

Response to a Moral Dilemma 

• Moral dilemmas are situations in which two or 

more moral obligations, duties, rights, goods, 

or ideals come into conflict with one another. 

• How does one decide whether a response is 

well-reasoned? What criteria apply? Can we 

reliably judge?

Developing a Well-Reasoned 

Response to a Moral Dilemma 

Responses can be judged on these criteria: 

1. Whether the response addresses each of the issues and points 

of ethical conflict 

2. Whether each interested party’s legitimate expectations are 

considered 

3. Whether the consequences of acting for each party are 

recognized and incorporated into the decision 

4. Whether each of the duties or obligations of the participants 

are described and based on moral considerations

Why should engineers 

have a code of ethics?

Herbert Hoover (on engineering) 

31 st President 

1929-1933 1929 1933 

Mining Engineer 

• “The great liability of the engineer compared to 

men of other professions is that his works are 

out in the open where all can see them. His 

acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He 

cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the 

doctors. He cannot argue them into thin air or 

blame the judge like the lawyers… He cannot, 

like the politician, screen his shortcomings by 

blaming his opponents and hope that the people 

will forget. The engineer simply cannot deny 

that he did it. If his works do not work, he is 

damned forever.”

Engineering (past and present) 

• Past 

– independent craftsman and consultant 

– individualism and accountability 

– personally identifiable engineer 

• Present 

– engineer is now less visible to the public 

– technology is the domain of the “corporation” 

– anonymity of the Engineer 

– focused on serving the organization, not the public

Engineering Code of Ethics 

• Most professional organizations 

have addressed the complexity of 

moral issues in their fields by 

developing codes of ethics 

• Professional codes of ethics 

consist primarily of principles of 

responsibility that delineate how 

to promote the public good.

• Shared Standards 

Roles of Codes 

• Positive Support to Act Ethically 

• Guidance Concerning Obligations 

• Motivation to do the right thing 

• Education to help with making hard decisions 

• Deterrence and Discipline 

• Maintanence of Professional Image

IEEE Code of Ethics 

• Introduction and items 1 through 5

IEEE Code of Ethics 

• Introduction (repeated) and items 6 through 10 

http://www.ieee.org/portal/pages/about/whatis/code.html

ACM Code of Ethics 

• Preamble (excerpts)


• General Moral Imperatives


• More Specific Professional Responsibilities


• Organizational Leadership Imperatives


• Compliance with the Code 

http://www.acm.org/constitution/code.html

ASME Code of Ethics 

• Fundamental Principles

• Canon 

– an accepted principle or rule 


– a criterion or standard of judgment 

– a body of principles, rules, 

• Fundamental standards Canons or norms


• Responsibility and Revisions 

http://files.asme.org/asmeorg/Governance/3675.pdf

ASCE Code of Ethics 

• Fundamental Principles


• Fundamental Canons


• Guidelines to Practice 

http://www.asce.org/inside/files/pdf/CodeofEthics1.pdf

• Preamble 

NSPE Code of Ethics

NSPE Code of Ethics 

• Fundamental Canons


• Rules of Practice


• Professional Obligations


• Professional Obligations (continued) 

http://www.nspe.org/ethics/eh1-code.asp

Possible Sources of Conflict 

• Personal integrity vs. corporate loyalty 

– business interests such as cost 

• Career goals or considerations 

• Deadlines 

• Insufficient knowledge

Why should you have 

a code of ethics?

The Reality Is … 

• You will be faced will ethical dilemmas 

• They will have serious consequences, either now 

or in the future 

• If you do the right thing it may go unnoticed, 

but… 

• If you don’t, your job/career/company/family may 

be hurt, along with innocent customers, users, or 

other people

• You are professional 

Remember 

• You are a member of a profession that has 

many worthy accomplishments 

• You and others in your profession can do 

much to help to improve the quality of life

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

Ethical Decision Making 

Who will be affected by my decision? 

What general rules or principles underlie my decision? Are you 

handling similar matters consistently? 

What are the implications of my decision for the University, Company 

and the public? 

What does my decision say about my values? (We all know people who 

say one thing & do another.) 

One can be unethical without breaking the law. 

What is right, what is fair and what is in your best interest may not be 

the same. Put your bias aside.

An Example 

• You are working on a school project in a 

group. One of your members refuses to do 

his or her part in the project. What do you 

do?

Another Example 

• One of your friends has not prepared well 

for the test today, and you have. The friend 

would like to copy your answers. What do 

you do?

Case Studies 

• We will case studies of real-world situations 

that involve decisions based on an ethical 

code 

• Each person will write a report that 

describes your reasoning and conclusions 

• Remember … ethics means “do the right 

thing”

engineering ethics - workplace experience - The University of ...

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