Engineering Ethics

Engineering Ethics Prof.Dr. Canan Özgen Introduction to Chemical Engineering, ChE 102 Chemical Engineering Department, METU

In the 21st century the rate of the applications of the new inventions in different areas are very fast. It is not always possible to reach the pace of technological developments by the pace of social and moral considerations relating to them. This is especially very important in engineering and bio-sciences, medicine. • We are in need of ethicalawareness!!! Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

We are in need of ethical awareness because; • “From a good decision can benefit millions, while an unethical one can cripple our future.” • (http://www.globalethics.org) Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

“... Human can easily be guided and used by the globalized, made globalized technology.Technology is swallowing the people who have planned and made it. Technology is leading and we are following it...” Ahmet İnam (2007) Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Aykut Köker, (2008) • “... An engineer must know and must be aware of that,the final goal in producing or generating the engineering innovations are for the • Happiness of people, • Increase the societal welfare and the quality of indivudual life, • ...Awareness of the social responsibility is the only bridge which will carry the engineer from being only a professional to being human.“ Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Content • Introduction • Definitions • Cases (1&2) • 3rd Case: Challenger • Engineering Ethics • Codes of Ethics • Codes of Ethics for Engineers • History Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Content (cont’d) • Engineering Ethics and Engineering Design • Ethical Theories • 4th Case: Bhopal Disaster • 5th Case: Mercedes • METU Honor Code Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Definitions • Aritotoles defines ethics, as”science dealing with character”. It is the science studying ideal human character and activities. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

“Ethics is the attempt to understand our personnel and social experiences in asystematic way.”* *Akın Ergüden, Notlar, 2000. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen 10

Definitions • “Ethics”is about how we meet the challenge of doing the right thing when that will cost more than we want to pay”.* • *The Josephson Institute of Ethics Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

As engineers these definitions apply to all of their choices, including those made while practicing. 12 Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

ENGINEERING andMORALITY 13 Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

“As an engineer we mean, to be aware of engineering ethics. Engineer recalls me also ethics; they don’t have different meanings. “....If something that you do, is not ethical, this is anyway, something that does not fit engineering... To override ethical codes must be understood something like, you violate the second law of thermodynamics.” Ahmet İnam (2007) Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Engineers must be aware of • Environmental Problems • 3R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle • Energy (Bio-mass) • Global warming • Food • SET for Sustainable Development • e-learning Computers increase 2 times in 2 years. Ethics in using them !!! 15 Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Engineers must Shape their Mind for Peace Morality, Tolerans, Mutual Respect Human Rights/ Justice Dialogue/Debate

Equity, Effordibility, Accessibility, Quality, Sufficiency(Knowledge and Morality) Engineers must consider: Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Ethicsis always a personnal issue. “What ever you search for, you can find it in yourself.” ”Her ne arasan kendinde bulacaksın.”Hacı Bektaş Veli Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Day and Night(Escher ) Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

No borders!! Art …. Philosophy 20th century philosophers Heidegger George Gadamer Richard Rorty The importance and effect of any mass depends not only to itself but also to the interaction of it with its surroundings. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Chagal, 1908“I and My Village.” 2.1.2020 21 Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

1st Case : Ford Pinto* • On August 10, 1978, a Ford Pinto was hit from behind on a highway in Indiana. The impact of the collision caused the Pinto’s fuel tank to rupture and burst into flames, leading to the deaths of three teenage girls riding the car. • Ford was charged in a criminal court for the deaths of the passengers and found negligent. • The gas tank design was flawed and was not in line with accepted engineering standards, even though it did meet applicable federal safety standards at the time. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

1st Case : Ford Pinto (cont’d) • Ford engineers were aware of the dangers of this design. • Management, concerned with getting the Pinto to market rapidly at a price competitive with others, had constrained the engineers to use the design. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

1st Case : Ford Pinto (cont’d) • The dilemma faced by the design engineers who worked on the Pinto was to balance • the safety of the people who would be riding the car against • the need to produce the Pinto at a price that would be competitive in the market. • They had to attempt to balance • their duty to the public against • their duty to their employer. *C.B. Fleddermann, Engineering Ethics, Prentice Hall,1999. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

1st Case : Ford Pinto (cont’d) • Result: • Death of three teenage girls !!! • the expenditure of millions of dollars in defending lawsuits, • payments to victims and • uncountable costs in lost sales due to bad publicity. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

2nd Case : A Case from Turkey • 1999 Turkey experienced one of the greatest disasters of the 20th century. • Buildings badly and wrongly constructed caused the deaths of thousands. • A similar earthquake occured in Japan recently (7.3) resulted in 0 number of deaths with 28 injured people. • WHY? Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

3rd Case: Challenger (1986) • Space shuttle Challenger was designed to be reusable launch vehicle. • A key aspect of the booster design are the joints where the individual cylinders come together. • The joints are sealed by two O-rings. The O-rings which are made from synthetic rubber are designed to prevent hot gases from the combustion of the solid propellant from escaping. • Previously the O-rings were found to be inadequate and redesigned causing delays in the program. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

3rd Case: Challenger (cont’d) • The political climate: • NASA budget was determined by Congresswho was unhappy with the delays of the shuttle. • European Space Agency was developing what seemed to be a cheaper alternative to the shuttle. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

3rd Case: Challenger (cont’d) • NASA felt pressure to get the Challenger launched on time so that the next shuttle launch was to carry a probe to examine Halley’s comet before Russians launch. • President Reagan was planning to mention the shuttle and a special astronaut-the first teacher in the space- Christa McAuliffe before the upcoming state-of-the-union address. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

3rdCase: Challenger (cont’d) • The days before the launch • The first launch date was postponed due to cold front expected to move through the area. • Again another cold front was expected with temperatures predicted to be in the low 20’s(oF) by the new launch time. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

3rd Case: Challenger (cont’d) • Night before the launch • 14 engineers at Morton Thiokol had unanimously and vigorously voiced opposition to the launch. • They warned that temperatures at the launch site were below the tested safety range. Low temperatures could make O-rings, which form part of the seals between segments of the booster rockets, less pliable and cause them to fail. • Moreover engineers were aware of a history of concern over these seals, which had shown alarming erosion in previous launches and were already being redesigned. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

3rd Case: Challenger (cont’d) • During the teleconference, Roger Boisjolyand Arnie Thompson, two Thiokol engineers who had worked on the solid-propellant booster design, gave an hour-long presentation on how the cold whether would increase the problems of joint rotation and sealing of the joint by the O-rings. • However, they did not have enough verified experimental data. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

3rd Case: Challenger (cont’d) • Project managers were disagreed with engineers due to inconclusive data. With the available data there seemed to be no correlation between temperature and the degree to which blow-by gasses had eroded O-rings in previous launches. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

3rd Case: Challenger (cont’d) • The Launch: • Contrary to weather prediction • the overnight temperature • was 8oF.Due to the • extremely low temperature • the O-ring didn’t seat • properly. • The shuttle exploded soon • (73 sec.) after lift off in Jan. 1986. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

3rd Case: Challenger (cont’d) • The Aftermath: • Roger Boisjolyhanded over the reports detailing the design process to the investigation commission. His actions hurt the efforts of Thiokol. He was isolated in the company . Eventually, he took extended sick leave. • Roger Boisjolytook direct action to force the attention of management to the issue and this specifically resulted in AAAS award for his efforts to avert the Challenger explosion.He is now lecturing on ethics in Universities. Many of themanagers of NASA and of Thiokol have been changed or retired by time. The launch schedule originally intended by NASA has never been met. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

3rd Case: Challenger (cont’d) • The horror of the Challenger accident brought the organizational deficiencies out into the open. It serve as a reminder that • communication and ethicsare • crucial components to such an organization. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

The point here is due to the position of Boisjoly, his ability to influence the management was poor. Poor response of Thiokol and of NASA resulted in disaster. • This example demonstrates how courage, honesty, and concern for safetyis implemented in engineering practice. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Engineering Ethics Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Engineering Ethics • Engineering ethics is the study of • moral issues and • moral decisions • confronting individuals and organizations engaged in engineering. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Engineering Ethics (cont’d) • “Whenever engineers do anything that imparts the lives of anyone- their choices of action are based on ethics. • In these choices engineers apply their • own moral standards, • mindful of the legal requirements, • using their personal code of ethics • to make the decision.”* *R. Turton, R.C. Bailie, W.B. Whiting and J. A. Shaeiwitz, Analysis, Synthesis, and Design of Chemical Processes, Prentice Hall, 1998. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Engineers are problem solvers.

. • Quantitatively, engineering is the profession, that affects all of our lives in the greatest extent. • The skill of a surgeon’s hands affects one patient at a time, the judgement of a design engineer can influence hundreds of lives at once. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Engineering Ethics (cont’d)(Last word) • The concept of “Engineering ethics” is an interdisciplinary discipline involving philosophy, engineering, social sciences, law and management sciences. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Engineering Ethics versus Engineering Design • The types of problem solving techniques, and the nature of the answers bear resemblances with design. • In both cases there are many correct solutions. Some are better than others. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Engineering Ethics versus Engineering Design (cont’d) • Both apply a large body of knowledge to the solution of a problem. • Both involve the use of analytical skills. • Approaches to the problems and the ultimate solution will be very similar. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Use of Ethical Theories • In order to develop workable ethical problem-solving techniques, we must look at several theories of ethics in order to have a framework for decision making. • The relatively large number of theories reflects the complexity of ethical problems and the diversity of approaches that have been developed over the centuries. • GG3 Great Greeks: Aristoteles, Socrates, Plato Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Ethical Theories (cont’d) • 1. Utilitarianism- • John StuartMill (1806-1873) • defined as balancebetween good and bad. Account the consequences for everyone • affected. Those actions are good that serve • to maximize human well-being • like cost-benefit analysis. most benefit to the most people. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Ethical Theories (cont’d) • 2. Duty ethics [Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)] • 3. Right ethics [John Locke(1632-1704)]. • They are similar. • Moral duties such as be honest, don’t cause suffering to other people, be fair to others etc are our dutiesthese are universal principles. Once our duties are recognized the ethical actions are obvious. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Ethical Theories (cont’d) • 4. Virtue ethics: • Virtue ethics focuses on • responsibility,honesty, • competence and loyalty. • Actions are considered right if they support good character virtues. • Virtue ethics is closely tied to personnel character, but cannot be separated from business morality. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Which theory to use? • In solving ethical problems, we can use all of them • to analyse a problem from different angles • to see what result each of the theories gives us. • Frequently, the result will be the same even though theories are very different. Engineering Ethics, C. Özgen

Engineering Ethics