Chapter 5

Dr. Bahaa Al-Sheikh & Eng. Mohammed Al-Sumady

Intoduction to Engineering

Engineering Ethics

Ethics

Study of morality and the moral choices that we all have to make in our lives

Why Is Engineering Ethics Important?

People rely heavily on engineers to provide them with safe and reliable goods and services

Engineers must perform under a certain standard of professional behavior which requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct

Mistakes made by unethical and/or incompetent engineers do not just cost money, they could cost many lives.

Ethics – Definition

The study of the general nature of morals and of specific moral choices

The rules or standards governing the conduct of the members of a profession

Fundamental Canons

Engineers in their professional duties, shall:1. Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the

public.2. Perform services only in areas of their competence.3. Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful

manner.

4. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents .

5. Avoid deceptive (خادع) acts.

6. Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.

Patent, Trademark, and Copyright

In the early days, trade information and invention were kept in the family and passed on from one generation to the next. For example, when a plow maker came up with a better design, he kept the details of the design to himself and shared the specifications of the new invention only with his family, including son(s), brother(s), and so on. The new designs and inventions stayed in the family to protect the business and to prevent others from duplicating the inventor’s design. However, new designs and inventions need to be shared if they are to bring about improvements in everyone’s lives.

At the same time the person(s) who comes up with a new idea should benefit from it. Traded information and invention, if not protected, can be stolen. So you can see that, in order for a government to promote new ideas and inventions, it must also provide means for protecting others from stealing someone’s new ideas and inventions, which are considered intellectual property.

Patents, trademarks, service marks, and copyrights are examples of means by which intellectual property is protected by United States laws.

Summary

You should understand the importance of engineering ethics and why you should live by these codes of ethics

You should understand the engineer’s creed and reasons why you should take the pledge