ENGR 482 Lecture 1

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Lecture Slides

Engineering Ethics

Writing Assignments

1. Personal Ethical Statement (750 words; 5%)
2. Ethical debate essay (1000 words; 10%)
3. Final Report (20%)

Exams

1. Midterm (20%)
2. Final (20%)

First Writing Assignment

1. Explain foundation of personal ethics, with examples
2. Describe professional aspirations and relate them to your personal ethics
3. explain main values behind your discipline's professional code of ethics and relate them to your personal ethics
4. Project proposal: Identify a contemporary ethical debate in your area of engineering that you may encounter once you are employed
5. Guidelines:
   • 750 word minimum
   • Mandatory Peer Review: Friday, September 13^th
   • Due: Monday, September 16^th

Three Types of Ethics

ethics and morality are used interchangeably except: ethics are written in formal statements/documents

NSPE code: National society of Professional Engeneers (back of textbook)

Common Morality

• Rules
• Changed throughout history
• Does not imply relativism

Personal Morality (Ethics)

• Basis for ethics:
  • Commands of God (Divine Command Theory)
  • Agreement to live together (Community Theory)
  • Promotion of self-interest (Egoistic Theory)
• Closely related to common morality, but may differ on controversial issues

Professional Ethics

• Professionals governed by standards created by their profession, stated in codes, and sometimes enforced by law (e.g. Texas Board of Professional Engineers)
• Bounding regardless of personal morality, however:
• sometimes permits professionals to refuse to render services when doing so would severely violate their personal ethics
• Cannot work entirely independent of common morality for lack of detail, contradictory obligations, etc.)

1. Prohibitive Ethics: ("Do Nots")
2. Preventive Ethics: "Taking due care to prevent actions and events that endanger the public"
3. Aspirational Ethics: Better the quality of human life