The use of codes of ethics

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From the course by Eindhoven University of Technology

Ethics, Technology and Engineering

2 оценки

Eindhoven University of Technology

Ethics, Technology and Engineering

2 оценки

There is an increasing attention to ethics in engineering practice. Engineers are supposed not only to carry out their work competently and skilfully, but also to be aware of the broader ethical and social implications of engineering and to be able to reflect on these. According to the Engineering Criteria 2000 of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in the US, engineers must have “an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility” and should "understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context.” This course provides an introduction to ethics in engineering and technology. It helps engineers and students in engineering to acquire the competences mentioned in the ABET criteria or comparable criteria formulated in other countries. More specifically, this course helps engineers to acquire the following moral competencies: - Moral sensibility: the ability to recognize social and ethical issues in engineering; - Moral analysis skills: the ability to analyse moral problems in terms of facts, values, stakeholders and their interests; - Moral creativity: the ability to think out different options for action in the light of (conflicting) moral values and the relevant facts; - Moral judgement skills: the ability to give a moral judgement on the basis of different ethical theories or frameworks including professional ethics and common sense morality; - Moral decision-making skills: the ability to reflect on different ethical theories and frameworks and to make a decision based on that reflection. With respect to these competencies, our focus is on the concrete moral problems that engineers encounter in their professional practice. With the help of concrete cases is shown how the decision to develop a technology, as well as the process of design and production, is inherently moral. The attention of the learners is drawn towards the specific moral choices that engineers face. In relation to these concrete choices learners will encounter different reasons for and against certain actions, and they will discover that these reasons can be discussed. In this way, learners become aware of the moral dimensions of technology and acquire the argumentative capacities that are needed in moral debates with stakeholders (e.g. governments, users, and commercial business departments).

From the lesson

Codes of conduct

In this module, we discuss the role of codes of conduct in engineering. In particular, we focus on professional codes as they have been proposed by professional engineering societies and on corporate codes, as they have been formulated by companies. We discuss these two types of codes, their structure and their content, and a number of common objections that have been levelled against codes of conduct. This includes the problem that someone is acting according to the code, but that it may nevertheless lead to dismissal.

The use of codes of ethics6:28

Meet the Instructors

Lambèr Royakkers
Associate Professor
Eindhoven University of Technology

Code of ethics.

In this lecture I will reflect on why engineers have

a code of ethics and whether or not it is of any use to them.

Ideas differ on this issue.

One position is that codes of ethics are merely

a window dressing that does not make engineers behave in a more ethical way.

Instead, the code is intended to give an impression.

Namely that engineers are ethical or even worse,

to cover up for unethical behavior.

People who hold this view may point out that codes of

ethics of engineering societies are not enforced,

and that their provisions are often vague or even contradictory.

In their view, engineering code of ethics are

powerless and just a form of window dressing.

Then there are those who hold the opposite view.

That codes of ethics not only contribute to ethical behavior,

but also create new moral obligations for engineers.

More specifically, a code of ethics may be seen as a kind

of promise that engineers make among themselves or to society.

Such promises may create new moral obligations that engineers do not otherwise have.

For example, the engineering ethicist

Michael Davis holds that engineering is a profession and that it,

like any other profession,

is characterized by a commitment to a moral ideal that goes beyond what law,

market, or common morality would otherwise require.

One can, of course,

take positions somewhere in between and hold that

engineering codes of ethics do not actually matter that much.

Defenders of this position could point out that

engineers already have certain moral obligations,

whether codified or not.

Contrary to the second view we examined,

adherents of this third view believe that codes do not create new moral obligations,

but rather obligations that engineers already have anyway.

Those who subscribe to this view may also hold the codes,

as such, do not really make engineers behave more ethically,

but they still recognize that discussing codes and

related ethical dilemmas may contribute to ethical awareness among engineers.

Let's look a bit deeper into two issues connected to

the debate about the use of codes of ethics.

The first issue is whether codes of ethics can create new moral obligations.

And the second is whether codes can or cannot help engineers behave more ethically.

Can codes of ethics create new moral obligations?

One way in which they might do is by acting as promises.

As in normal life, promises may create moral obligations.

You mention to me that you've bought

a new house and that you intend to move in next week.

If I promise to help you with your move,

my promise creates a moral obligation to actually help you.

Without this promise, I may have no obligation to help you with your move.

Promises can thus create moral obligations.

But two things should be kept in mind.

First, immoral promises do not create moral obligations.

If I promise you that I will kill your spouse, of course,

I do not thereby come to have a moral obligation to kill your spouse.

On the contrary, I still have a moral obligation

not to kill your spouse as it would be unethical to do so.

Second, like any other kind of moral obligation,

promises may sometimes be overridden by more important moral obligations.

If I promised you that I will visit you tomorrow but before the agreed upon time of

my visit my child becomes seriously ill and has to be taken to the hospital,

my moral obligation to my child overrides my promise to you.

This also seems to apply to codes of ethics for engineers.

If engineers promise to hold paramount the public's health,

safety, and welfare, this promise creates a moral obligation.

Perhaps a more stringent one that I would otherwise have.

Nevertheless, this obligation may be overridden in

exceptional circumstances by more important moral obligations.

Let's move on to the second issue.

Can codes of ethics help engineers behave ethically?

Seemingly they can in at least two ways.

The first is that they may help engineers with making judgments

about moral cases or dilemmas encountered in practice.

Even if one believes that moral judgment cannot be

codified and are to be made by individuals in good conscience,

codes of ethics may be helpful in reminding us

the important moral considerations or principles to take into account.

In addition, they may help us act

ethically in situations in which we have reached a judgment.

Even if we know the right thing to do,

there may be incentives not to do it.

We may have a weak will.

We may be inclined to act out of self-interest.

Our environment may make it difficult to act ethically.

Ethical behavior may not always be in

the best interests of our colleagues or our company.

In such situations, a code of ethics may

be helpful not only to remind us of what we should

do but also to point out to others that

these are ethical principles engineers have agreed to live by.

Codes of ethics may serve another important function.

They are a reflection of what we as engineers and as members of

society believe to be important obligations for the profession.

The content of the obligations that can be found

in codes have been changing over the years.

Safety and human health have become more important over the course of time.

In some codes, sustainability has recently been added as an important moral value.

In specific areas like robotics,

specific issues like responsibility may be important.

Codes of ethics should be seen as living documents.

They are part of an ongoing discussion about what moral obligations engineers have.

Technology in society are continually

evolving and therefore these discussions may never end.

Indeed they are important because they help us develop technology more responsibly.

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