ENGR 482 Lecture 25
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Moral Dilemmas in the International Context
Recall Hanna's dilemma whether to work on a facility in a "lesser industrialized" country
Two problems:
- home country
- host country
- lesser developed
Two extremes: avoid extremes in "boundary-crossing situations"
- Moral Imperialism: Home-country values should always guide. But
- our values may not apply
- Moral Relativism: "When in Rome..."
- may be illegal (FPCA, 1977)
- action may be too immoral (slavery, safety and health standards)
Neither can be accepted in all cases
Creative Middle Ways
Two extremes of approaching a boundary-crossing situation
- moral laxism
- situation is so unique/complicated/unusual that principles do not apply
- do whatever is in self-interest
- moral rigorism
- whatever moral principles are accepted must be applied strictly in every situation
Correct decision is somewhere between
Four Standards
- Golden rule
- Universal Human Rights
- Positive: someone else must contribute (right to education)
- Negative: non-interference (right to life)
- Promoting basic Human Well-Being
- Codes of (International) Engineering Societies
- NSPE code applies even in another country
Bribery
Influencing someone's decision to do something in your favor that they otherwise wouldn't do.
c.f. extortion, which is paying for somethig you should not otherwise have to pay for.
Extortion is less morally grave than paying or accepting bribes.