Understanding

Ethical Problems
Department of Chemical Engineering
Objectives
 Discuss several ethical theories
 See how these theories can applied to engineering situation

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Ethical Theories
 Ethical problem solving as cut and dried as problem solving in engineering
classes
 In most engineering classes, there is generally just one theory to consider
when tackling a problem
 In studying engineering ethics, there are several theories that will be
considered
 Having multiple theories to apply actually enriches the problem-solving
process, allowing problems to be looked at from different angles, since each
theory stresses different aspects of a problem

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What is A Moral Theory
A moral theory defines terms in uniform ways and links ideas and
problems together consistent ways

There are four ethical theories that will be considered here:

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Utilitarianism
 Utilitarianism merupakan suatu cara untuk mencari utilitas yang paling
baik, yang didefinisikan sebagai keseimbangan anatara konsekuensi
baik dan buruk dari suatu Tindakan, dengan mempertimbangkan
konsekuendi bagi setiap orang yang terkena dampak.
 Utilitarianism holds that those actions are good that serve to maximize
human well-being
 The emphasis in utilitarianism is not on maximizing the well-being of
the individual, but rather on maximizing the well-being of society as a
whole, and as such it is somewhat of a collectivist approach
 An example, dams often lead to great benefit to society by providing
stable supplies of drinking water, flood control, and recreational
opportunities. However, these benefits often come athe expense of
people who live in areas that will be floodes by the dam and are
required to find new homes, or lose5 the use of their land.
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is an ethical philosophy that an action is right if
it promotes happiness for the majority of people. The greatest
happiness of the greatest number of people is the guiding
principle of behavior. According to this doctrine, actions are
morally right if their consequences lead to happiness.
Therefore, actions are morally wrong if they lead to
unhappiness. Happiness and unhappiness also mean the
absence of pain and the presence of pain respectively.

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Utilitarianism
According to utilitarianism, the morality of an action is determined solely through an
assessment of its consequences. Originally, utility was defined by Jeremy Bentham in
terms of actions that maximized pleasure and minimized pain. However, this “pig’s
philosophy” was later reformulated by Bentham’s godson, John Stuart Mill, to maximize
happiness and minimize suffering. Optimizing happiness, rather than pleasure, seems a
better choice, as happiness is related more to the mind than the body, is of longer duration,
and may encompass both pleasure and pain (e.g., childbirth).
Using a relative scale, potential units of happiness, called hedons, may be compared with
potential units of suffering, called dolors, to determine if an action should be pursued. It is
the relationship of relative happiness to suffering that the utilitarian seeks to capture in
assigning numerical values to various consequences.

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Utilitarianism depends on circumstances
Whether actions lead to unhappiness or happiness depends on the
circumstances.
For example, giving a dry biscuit to a starving man will reduce his
pain. However, giving a dry biscuit to a man who is dying of thirst
will increase his pain.
Saving a loving mother from drowning will make her, her
husband, children, other relatives, and friends very happy.
However, what about saving a suicide bomber from drowning,
especially if he is about to kill dozens of people? The action of
saving him will result in great unhappiness.
Hence, under utilitarianism, no moral principle is necessary in
itself, i.e., it is not absolute.
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Utilitarianism and Utility
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that suggests that the best actions are those
that maximize utility.
In economics, utility is the pleasure or satisfaction that people derive from
consuming a product or service. The term may also refer to pleasure or
satisfaction that people derive from being somewhere. In economics, we can
replace the terms ‘satisfaction and pleasure’ with ‘value for money.’
Economists use utility to measure pleasure or happiness and how it relates to
the decisions we make. Specifically, decisions that we make as consumers.
Utility measures the benefits and disadvantages (drawbacks) of consuming a
product or service. It also measures the benefits and drawbacks of
participating in an event or experiencing something.
This measure directly influences demand, which subsequently determines the
price of things.
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Deontologi adalah sebuah pandangan bahwa baik atau buruknya sebuah perbuatan
bukan dari konsekuensinya tapi dari bentuk perbuatan itu sendiri. Jadi Batman
beranggapan bahwa pembunuhan itu salah, walaupun membunuh siapapun itu
orang baik ataupun jahat bahkan membunuh Joker sekalipun adalah salah, karena
pembunuhan adalah salah. Sebaliknya jika ada yang berfikir kalau Batman
seharusnya membunuh Joker karena banyak mengorbankan nyawa, itu adalah ethic
yang lain yaitu Filosofi Utilitarian. Ultilitarian adalah pandangan ini baik atau
buruknya perbuatan dilihat dari akibat yang dihasilkan, berbuatan yang baik adalah
perbuatan yang menghasilkan dampak yang baik. Jadi jikalau Batman membunuh
Joker berakibat menolong nyawa-nyawa yang mungkin akan menjadi korban
karenanya, maka itu adalah perbuatan baik menurut Filosofi Utilitarian.

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Duty ethics and Right Ethics
 Duty ethics contends that there are duties that should be performed (for
example, the duty to treat others fairly or the duty not to injure others)
regardless of whether these acts lead to the most good
 Right ethics emphasizes that we all have moral rights, and by action that
violates these rights is ethically unacceptable.

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Virtue Ethics
 Virtue ethics regard actions as right that manifest good character traits
(virtues) and regard actions as bad that display bad character traits (vices);
this ethical theory focuses on the type of person we should strive to be.

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Case Study

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Thank You
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