INTRODUCTION

Engineering is the process of developing an efficient mechanism

which quickens and eases the work using limited resources, with the
help of technology. Ethics are the principles accepted by the society,
which also equate to the moral standards of human beings. An
engineer with ethics, can help the society in a better way.
The word “Ethics” originates from the Greek word “ethos”
meaning “character”. Ethics are a set of rules or principles that are
generally considered as standards or good and bad or right and wrong,
which are usually imposed by an external group or a society or a
profession or so.

WHAT ARE ETHICS

Ethics is a branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles.
Ethics refers to the study of morality and the moral choices that we all
have to make in our lives.
ETHICS IN ENGINEERING
Ethics are principles followed depending upon the moral
responsibility that a person feels. The study of related questions about
moral ideals, character, policies and relationships of people and
organizations involved in technological activity, can be termed
as Engineering ethics.
An engineer whether he works individually or works for a
company, has to go through some ethical issues, mostly under the
conditions such as, conceptualization of a product, issues arising in
design and testing departments, or may be on the issues involving the
manufacturing, sales and services. Questions related to morality also
arise during supervision and team works.
The ethical decisions and moral values of an engineer need to be
considered because the decisions of an engineer have an impact the
products and services - how safe they are to use, the company and its
shareholders who believe in the goodwill of the company, the public
and the society who trusts the company regarding the benefits of the
people, the law which cares about how legislation affects the
profession and industry, the job and his moral responsibilities and
about how the environment gets affected, etc.
Not only an engineer, but everyone has to follow a set of morals in
order to keep away from getting morally degraded. Our behavior
should include the following −
 Respecting others and ourselves.
 Respecting the rights of others.
 Keeping promises.
 Avoiding unnecessary problems to others.
 Avoiding cheating and dishonesty.
 Showing gratitude towards others and encourage them to work.
HISTORY OF ENGINEERING ETHICS
Engineering ethics is the field of applied ethics and system of
moral principles that apply to the practice of engineering. The field
examines and sets the obligations by engineers to society, to their
clients, and to the profession. As a scholarly discipline, it is closely
related to subjects such as the philosophy of science, the philosophy
of engineering, and the ethics of technology.

The first Tay Bridge collapsed in 1879. At least sixty were

killed.

As engineering rose as a distinct profession during the 19th

century, engineers saw themselves as either independent professional
practitioners or technical employees of large enterprises. There was
considerable tension between the two sides as large industrial
employers fought to maintain control of their employees.
In the United States growing professionalism gave rise to the
development of four founding engineering societies:
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) (1851),
the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) (1884), the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) (1880), and
the American Institute of Mining Engineers (AIME) (1871).ASCE
and AIEE were more closely identified with the engineer as learned
professional, where ASME, to an extent, and AIME almost entirely,
identified with the view that the engineer is a technical employee.
 Even so, at that time ethics was viewed as a personal rather than
a broad professional concern.
TYPES OF ETHICAL THEORIES
Depending upon the ethics a person is intended to follow, four
theories were postulated by four different philosophers. These
theories help to create the fundamentals of obligation suitable and
applicable to professional and personal conduct of a person in his
everyday life.

RIGHTS-BASED ETHICAL THEORY

The Rights based ethical theory was proposed by John Locke.
According to this theory, the solution to a problem is by realizing that
every person has a right to live. Live and let live is the philosophy
behind this theory. The rights of a person towards life, health, liberty,
possession, etc. are taken care of under this theory.
 For example, any action in terms of Capital punishment, Jails,
Income taxes and Medical charges etc. come under this category.

DUTY-BASED ETHICAL THEORY

The duty-based ethical theory was proposed by Immanuel
Kant. According to this theory, every person has a duty to follow
which is accepted universally, with no exceptions.
An example of this can be expecting all to be honest, kind,
generous and peaceful.

GOLDEN MEAN
The Golden Mean ethical theory was proposed by Aristotle.
According to this theory, the solution to a problem is found by
analyzing the reason and the logic. A “Mean value of solution”
which will be between the extremes of excess and deficiency.
For example, the solution to the problem of environment
pollution is neither by avoiding industrialization and civilization, nor
by neglecting the environment completely. A mean solution that will
work towards controlling the pollution and protecting the
environment will also help.
PROBLEM OF APPLICATION
The application of this theory varies from one person to another
with their powers of reasoning and the difficulty in applying the
theory to ethical problems.
WHAT IS GOLDEN MEAN
The Golden Mean virtue can be understood as the virtue of
reaching a proper balance between extremes in conduct, emotion,
desire and attitude. This theory phrased by Aristotle states that virtues
are tendencies to find the golden mean between the extremes of too
much (excess) and too little (deficiency) with regard to particular
aspects of our lives.
The most important virtue is practical wisdom, i.e., morally
good judgment, which enables one to discern the mean for all the
other virtues. There are internal goods such as products, activities and
experiences should never clash with the external goods such as
money, power self-esteem and prestige. The standards of excellence
enable internal goods to be achieved. The external goods when
extremely concerned, though by individuals or by organizations,
threaten the internal goods.

UTILITARIAN ETHICS
The Utilitarian ethics was proposed by John Stuart. According
to this theory, the happiness or pleasure of a greatest number of
people in the society is considered as the greatest good. According to
this philosophy, an action is morally right if its consequences lead to
happiness of peo ple and wrong if they lead to their unhappiness.
An example of this can be the removal of reservation system in
education and government jobs, which can really benefit the talented.
But this can have an impact on the rights of the minorities.
PROBLEM OF APPLICATION
Qualification of the benefits can be difficult.
WHAT ARE THESE ETHICS
Consider the cost-benefit analysis in engineering. A typical cost-
benefit analysis identifies the good and bad consequences of some
action or policy in a monetary aspect. It weighs the total good against
total bad and then compares the results to similar tallies of the
consequences of alternative actions or rules. This supports the idea of
maximizing benefits against cost.
There are two main types of Utilitarianism. They are −
ACT UTILITARIANISM
The Act Utilitarianism focuses on each situation and the
alternative actions possible in the situation. Act Utilitarianism states
that “A particular action is right if it is likely to produce the higher
level of good for the most people in a given situation, compared to
alternative choices that might be made.”
 In accordance with this theory, the good done is only considered
but not the way how it is done. For example, looting the richer to feed
the poor, can satisfy and make a group of poor people, happy. But
looting is not a way of morality. Hence act-utilitarianism seems to
justify the wrong-doing.
RULE UTILITARIANISM
The Rule Utilitarianism states that “Right actions are those
required by rules that produce the higher level of good for the most
people.” We need to consider a set of rules, where they interact with
each other. This was developed to clear the problem that occurs with
act-utilitarianism.
Engineers with ethics should follow the rule-utilitarianism
considering the point, “Act as faithful agents or trustees of
employers”. So, engineers should abide by it even when an exception
might happen to be beneficial. Like in the above example, one should
seek the help of law and order to prove the guilt of richer and let see
that the poor get benefitted.

Advantages of Ethical Theories

 Ethical theories help a person to arrive at a decision.
 Ethical theories help us to choose what is appropriate for the
given situation.
 Ethical theories also give us a perspective on morality.
 Ethical theories assist us in making reasonable choices.
 Ethical theories are useful in solving some dilemmas.

Uses of Ethical Theories

Ethical theories help in the following areas −
 Understanding moral dilemmas.
 Justifying professional obligations and ideas.
 Relating ordinary and professional morality.
Moral and Ethical Dilemmas
Do you remember a time when you had to make a choice and
each option was equally unpleasant? Perhaps you lied, and
something terrible happened, or you were faced with the task of
divulging the truth and being punished for lying. This mess is
called a dilemma: a situation that challenges an agreeable solution.
In literature, dilemmas form the central conflict many protagonists
encounter. Many people face all kinds of dilemmas in life, and the
choice they make can have long-lasting impacts. Sometimes these
dilemmas have even caused changes in society and history!
Common types of dilemmas include classic, ethical, and moral.
Classic Dilemma

A classic dilemma is a choice between two or more alternatives, in

which the outcomes are equally undesirable, or equally favorable. The
dilemma does not typically involve a moral or ethical crisis, but the
person or character’s life may change as a result of their decision. As
a young adult, some examples of classic dilemmas include:

 Deciding between colleges to attend

 Uncertainty about which job offer to take

 Wondering whether or not to make the move to a new city

Classic dilemmas are more than simple choices, because they

usually prompt the person to think about the outcomes of the choices.
As a result, a character in a story may find themselves on an
adventure, in fear for their lives, or instituting change because of the
choice they made in their dilemma.
Ethical Dilemma

An ethical dilemma arises when a person is forced to decide

between two morally sound options, but they may conflict with the
established boundaries of a business, a governmental agency, or the
law. Some ethical dilemmas may involve following the truth versus
being loyal to a friend; following the laws or rules versus having
compassion for an individual’s plight; and concerns about an
individual person versus the larger impact on a community. An ethical
dilemma differs from a moral dilemma because it very much involves
following rules rather than one’s conscience, although one’s
conscience can certainly move an individual to consider breaking the
rules.

Ethical dilemmas are especially important in the medical and

criminal justice fields, and in careers such as social work and
psychology. In addition, most public servants have to undergo ethics
training to address common dilemmas they may come across while
working with the public. Recent advancements in science have also
brought forward interesting and uncharted ethical dilemmas. Some
examples of ethical dilemmas include:

 An administrative assistant discovers her boss has been

laundering money, and she must decide whether or not to turn
him in
 A doctor refuses to give a terminal patient morphine, but the
nurse can see the patient is in agony.
 A government contractor discovers that intelligence agencies
have been spying on its citizens illegally, but is bound by
contract and legalities to keep his confidentiality about the
discovery.
Children may also face some ethical dilemmas. Some examples
include:
 A friend got the math test ahead of time and says you can look
at it. You struggle with math and you know it would help your
grade if you knew the questions ahead of time.
 You are going to the movies with your friends and tickets are
half price for kids who are under 12 years old. You are 13 years
old, but could easily pass for younger.

 You are hanging out with a friend who isn’t very popular. You
run into other friends who invite you to hang with them, but
they do not want your friend to come.

Moral Dilemma

A moral dilemma is a situation in which a person is torn between

right and wrong and looks at the very core of a person's principles and
values. The choice the person makes may leave them feeling
burdened, guilty, relieved, or questioning their values. A moral
dilemma often forces the individual to decide which option he or she
can live with, but any outcomes are extremely unpleasant no matter
what. Moral dilemmas are often used to help people think through the
reasoning for their beliefs and actions, and are common in psychology
and philosophy classes. Some examples of moral dilemmas include:

 The classic “lifeboat dilemma”, where there are only 10 spaces

in the lifeboat, but there are 11 passengers on the sinking ship. A
decision must be made as to who will stay behind.

 A train with broken brakes is speeding towards a fork in the

tracks. On the left, there is a woman crossing with her two
children; on the right, there is a man doing routine maintenance
on the tracks. The engineer must decide which side to aim the
speeding train towards.
  A husband learns he has a terminal illness and he decides to ask
his wife for assistance in ending the pain before it gets too bad.
 A friend discovers her best friend’s boyfriend is cheating. She
must decide whether to tell her friend or keep it a secret.

Moral dilemmas also provide interesting social topics for students

to examine in position and research papers. Common topics for such
assignments often include:
1. The Death Penalty
2. Doctor-Assisted Suicide
3. Ending the Drug War
4. The Draft
5. Abortion
6. Government Spying
7. Prison Reform
8. Legalizing (or decriminalizing) Marijuana
9. Fossil Fuels vs. Renewable Energy

JUSTIFYING PROFESSIONAL
OBLIGATIONS AND IDEAS
Every professional is obligated both to acquire and to
maintain the expertise needed to undertake her professional
tasks, and every professional is obligated to undertake only those
tasks that are within her competence. Competence is probably the
most obvious category of professional obligation.

RELATING ORDINARY AND

PROFESSIONAL MORALITY
Ordinary morality is the set of standards people endorse in their
nonprofessional, private lives. (2) Professional morality is the set of
binding moral obligations to which professionals ought to be
committed because of their special skills, functions, working milieu,
etc.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ETHICS

BUSINESS ETHICS
Ethics are the set of rules of conduct that the concerning persons
need to abide by. These ethics when related to the field of business,
are called Business Ethics. Business ethics are similar to professional
ethics. Business ethics are related to the aspects of business dealing
with all employees in an ethical manner.
An organization is expected to follow certain ethical values in
its functioning, establishment, employee welfare, operations,
environmental factors, waste management and the issues related to the
people living around, etc. These factors affect the reputation of the
company and indirectly affect the value of its shares in the global
market. The main principles of admirable business ethics can be -
being trustful, open minded, meeting obligations, having the
documents clear with good accounting control, etc.
The general business ethics include the following aspects −
 Be it any industry or a corporate office, the infrastructure and
the working environment should be comfortable and
encouraging.
 The safety precautions and maintenance of the organization are
to be taken care of.
 The work and the skills of the employees are to be identified and
encouraged for the development of the organization.
 A hierarchical procedure is to be followed, maintaining the
ethical standards for the execution of work.
 The product maintenance right from the procurement raw
material to the dispatch of product should be done in a standard
procedure uninfluenced by any unethical issues.
 No tolerance should be there for any kind of unethical behavior
or influences that affect the production and organizational
standards.
 To encourage the activities that promote social good and are
environment-friendly.
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Globalization and industrialization have impacted the
environment on a very large scale. The long term effects of the
environment are usually neglected unless it is gross and immediate
effect.
We are getting habituated to the ill-effects of pollution and
industrial negligence shows on our environment. The aftermath can
be seen in acid rains, water and land contamination, effect on crops
and food sources, the cattle getting affected, the drying of lakes and
canals, floods, drought, tsunamis and earthquakes due to drilling of
underground wealth, the effect on marine being, the effect on ozone
and the melting of snow mountains due to global warming, etc. The
aftermath can be an alarming call for the required environmental
changes.

Engineers need to show some responsibility towards the

environment and should be ethical in their approach and find
mitigating solutions for the protection of environment. Organizations
should support the activities that promote environment protection.
The environment ethics include −
 The study of moral issues concerning the environment
 Moral perspectives, beliefs and attitudes concerning those
issues.
 Let us now consider the ethics that need to be followed by a
corporation dealing with the manufacture of computers. The
organization needs to set priorities for the efficient use of resources,
the design of the energy-efficient products, easy disassembly for
recycling and waste minimization. The application of high standards
throughout its operation and placing priority to companies that have
an environmental concern can also extend the support for
environmental protection.

COMPUTER ETHICS
Computers with Internet raise a host of difficult moral issues,
many of them connected with basic moral concerns such as free
speech, privacy, respect for property, informed consent and harm. To
evaluate and deal with these issues, a new area of applied ethics called
Computer Ethics has come up. These ethics are related to all the
computer professionals such as programmers, analysts, operators,
designers, etc. along with the users.
The ten commandments of Computer Ethics, created in 1992 by
the Computer Ethics Institute consists of the following −
One should never use a computer −
 To harm the people (anti-social activities)
 To interfere with other’s work (illegal manipulations)
 To snoop into other’s files (malware)
 To steal a computer/data (hacking)
 To bear false witness (manipulation and morphing)
 To use/ copy a software you didn’t pay for (like illegal
downloads and usages)
 To use or copy other’s software without compensations (illegal
pirated versions)
 To use other’s intellectual output inappropriately (violating IPR)
 Doing without thinking of social consequences of the program
being written (libeling)
 Always use a computer ensuring consideration and respect
towards fellow beings.
 However, these ethics are facing lax in today’s world. A very small
section of concerned individuals seems to be following these ethics. A
large section seems to be violating these ethics. With this, there is an
unprecedented increase in cybercrime.