Ethics in engineering practice and research PDF
Preview Ethics in engineering practice and research
Engineers encounter difficult ethical problems in their practice and in research. In many ways, these problems are like design problems: They are complex and often ill-defined; resolving them involves an iterative process of analysis and synthesis; and there can be more than one ac- ceptable solution. This book offers a real-world, problem-centered approach to engi- neering ethics, using a rich collection of open-ended scenarios and case studies to develop skill in recognizing and addressing ethical issues. The book is designed to be used with active learning classroom exercises and makes extensive use of the resources on the WWW Ethics Center for Engineering and Science, http://ethics.cwru.edu. ETHICS IN ENGINEERING PRACTICE AND RESEARCH ETHICS IN ENGINEERING PRACTICE AND RESEARCH Caroline Whitbeck Case Western Reserve University CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473, USA www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521474115 © Cambridge University Press 1998 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1998 Reprinted 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007 A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data Whitbeck, Caroline. Ethics in engineering practice and research / Caroline Whitbeck. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-521-47411-6 1. Engineering ethics. I. Title. TA157.W47 1998 174'.962-dc21 97-18010 CIP ISBN 978-0-521-47411-5 Hardback ISBN 978-0-521-47944-8 Paperback Transferred to digital printing 2009 Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Information regarding prices, travel timetables and other factual information given in this work are correct at the time of first printing but Cambridge University Press does not guarantee the accuracy of such information thereafter. This book is dedicated to the memory of James R. Melcher (1936-1991) CONTENTS Preface xiii Foreword, by Woodie Flowers xviii INTRODUCTION TO ETHICAL CONCEPTS Part 1. Values and Value Judgments 3 Values Distinguished from Preferences 3 Types of Value and Value Judgments 6 Ethics and Ethical Relativism 9 Ought, Good-Bad, Right-Wrong 11 A Note on Normative Ethical Theory 12 Moral and Amoral Agents 13 Consequences, Harms, and Benefits 15 Part 2. Moral Rights and Moral Rules 18 Moral Rights 18 Moral Obligations, Moral Rules, and Moral Standing 27 Part 3. Moral Character and Responsibility 35 Virtues and Vices 35 Ethical Responsibility and Official Responsibility 37 Trust and Responsibility 44 Part 4. Privacy, Confidentiality, Intellectual Property, and the Law 46 Privacy and Confidentiality 46 Intellectual Property 48 Ethics, Conscience, and the Law 49 1 ETHICS AS DESIGN: DOING JUSTICE TO ETHICAL PROBLEMS Design Problems 55 Vll ETHICS IN ENGINEERING PRACTICE AND RESEARCH The Design Analogy 56 Four Moral Lessons from Design Problems 61 The Dynamic Character of Ethical Problems 66 Problems as Experienced by Agents 68 Making and Assessing Ethical Judgments 70 Summary and Conclusion: Improving on Excellence 72 2 THE BASIS AND SCOPE OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY Professions and Norms of Professional Conduct 74 How Ethical Standards Vary with Profession 76 Responsibilities, Obligations, and Moral Rules in Standards of Ethical Behavior 82 Trustworthy Professional Practice 86 Which Mistakes are Culpable? 88 The Autonomy of Professions and Codes of Ethics 93 Does Employee Status Prevent Acting as a Professional? 100 Summary 104 3 CENTRAL PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF ENGINEERS How Criteria for Professional Conduct Change 108 The Emerging Consensus on the Responsibility for Safety among Engineers 109 Knowledge, Foresight, and the Responsibility for Safety Ill The Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse and the 1979 American Airlines DC-10 Crash 114 Hazards and Risks 118 The Scope and Limits of Engineering Foresight 122 Matching an Engineer's Foresight With Opportunities for Influence 128 Summary 129 4 TWO MODELS OF PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR: ROGER BOISJOLY AND THE CHALLENGER, WILLIAM LEMESSURIER'S FIFTY-NINE STORY CRISIS Part 1. Roger Boisjoly's Attempts to Avert the Challenger Disaster 133 Moral Lessons from Roger Boisjoly s Response to Safety Problems 133
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