Introduction to Engineering Introduction To Ethics I

1. Introduction to EngineeringIntroduction To Ethics I Agenda Introduce and Define Ethics Develop a Process for Responding To Ethical Problems Reference: Martin & Schinzinger, Introduction To Engineering Ethics, p. 1-22

2. Ethical Expectations of Professionals • A survey of 200 business executives asked them to list the most ethical professionals in their experience. • Make a list of who you would expect to be the top three:

3. Defining Ethics • Ethics - synonyms for “morally correct” or justified - set of justified moral principles of obligation, rights, and ideals • Ethics - particular beliefs or attitudes concerning morality • Ethics - area of study or inquiry – an activity of understanding moral values, resolving moral issues, and justifying moral judgments

4. What are moral values? What is morality? • Dictionary – concerns right and wrong, good and bad, the rules that ought to be followed. • Morality – about reasons centered in respect for other people as well as ourselves, reasons that involve their good as well as our own.

5. Illegal Legal Ethical Unethical How are ethics and law related? 1 2 3 4

6. Developing a Well-Reasoned Response to a Moral Dilemma • Moral dilemmas are situations in which two or more moral obligations, duties, rights, goods, or ideals come into conflict with one another. • How does one decide whether a response is well-reasoned? What criteria apply? Can we reliably judge?

7. Responses can be judged on these criteria: • Whether the response addresses each of the issues and points of ethical conflict presented in the case or problem; • Whether each interested party’s legitimate expectations are considered; • Whether the consequences of acting are recognized, specifically described (not just generally mentioned), and incorporated into the decision; and • Whether each of the duties or obligations of the protagonist are described and grounded in moral considerations.

8. Approach to Applying the Criteria Case Heinz’s wife is dying. A cure is available from a druggist in Heinz’s town, who is the one who discovered the drug, but the druggist charges much more that it costs him to make it, and much more than Heinz can afford to pay. Heinz can’t raise the money and the druggist will not agree to let him pay later. Dilemma – Whether Heinz should steal the drug to save his wife’s live.

9. Heinz Case • Issues or points of conflict • Interested Parties (others not mentioned in case may have a stake) • Consequences (identify those that have a good probability of occurring) • Obligations (primarily protagonist toward various interested parties)

10. Your Re-Considered Response – Does he steal? (Yes or No) Does it fit your understanding of the: • Issues or points of conflict • Interested Parties • Consequences • Obligations

11. Following slide for instructor use only. Goes between Slides 2 and 3.

12. Results of Executive Survey on Most Ethical Professionals. Engineers 34% CPA’s 24% Doctors 17% Lawyers 8% Dentists 7% Bankers 1% Don’t Know 9%