Ethical Challenges in the Engineering Professions

Gerald Engel

University of Connecticut, Stamford

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My colleagues on the IEEE Ethics Committee and especially

Ray Larsen

Steve Unger

DISCLAIMER

The following views represent my personal ideas and opinions and not necessarily those of the IEEE Ethics

Committee, or my university

Defining Engineering Ethics

• Engineering Ethics for purposes of this discussion is the identification, study and resolution of ethical problems occurring in the practice of the profession of Engineering

• Engineering Ethics is a branch of a broader ethical concern involving the impact of technology on society

What is Unique to Engineering?

• Some of the ethical questions facing engineers are unique to engineering while others are common to other learned professions as well

• The uniqueness is related to the specialized knowledge inherent in the various branches of engineering

A Basic Responsibility

• To assure that not only one’s corporate superiors, but also the public are informed of both the intended benefits as well as the potential harmful side effects of any engineering technology or consumer product.

Example Problems

• The problem of storing uranium and plutonium waste products from power reactors and weapons

• The problem of air pollution caused by automobiles and coal burning power plants

• The problem of anti-personnel mines from old wars that today kill or main civilians on average of every twenty-two minutes

Scope of Engineering Ethics

• Ethics of the workplace:coworkers, employer, employee

• Ethics related to product of work:end product safety, etc, end uses

Public Perception of Engineers• Subservient• Afraid of offending employers over ethical

concerns• Low public profile• Little or no corporate voice

Engineering Codes of Ethics

• EARLY CODES– Codes of personal behavior– Codes for honesty in business dealings and

fair business practices

• NEWER CODES– Responsibility to public interest– Personal ethics in workplace

Are Engineering Codes Needed?

• NO:– Engineers are capable of fending for

themselves– Common law is available to defend in ethical

disputes– Offended public can seek redress through

courts

Are Engineering Codes Needed? (cont)

• YES– Engineers have few or no resources to defend

themselves in an ethical dispute– Common law is available in reality only with

great difficulty– Conversely, the public has similar problems in

seeking redress through legal channels

What Can A Code Accomplish?

• Clearly define expected behavior for the profession

• Sets high standards for the workplace and public dealings

• Forms a basis for discipline of violators

• Forms a basis for support for adherents

The IEEE Code of Ethics

• The Code stems from the IEEE constitution

“… the IEEE shall strive to enhance the quality of life for all people throughout the world through the constructive application of technology in its fields of competence. It shall endeavor to promote understanding of the influence of such technology on the public welfare.”

The IEEE Addresses The Following Areas:

• Public health, safety, the environment

• Personal conflicts of interests

• Honesty in cost estimating

• Rejection of bribery, in all forms

• Improving public understanding of technology and its consequences

The IEEE Addresses The Following Areas: (cont)

• Maintaining engineering competence and disclosing professional limitations

• Seeking advice, correcting errors, crediting others

• Equal treatment of all persons• Avoiding injury to other’s property, reputation

and employment• Assisting colleagues in professional

development and in following the Code

What Is Missing?

• No mention of relations to workers other than fellow engineers and management

• No mention of engineers as employers

• BOTH ARE IMPORTANT AREAS OF CONCERN

Global Engineering Ethics

• IEEE is increasingly aware of its role as a Transnational organization:– The need to include its worldwide

membership in the Ethics dialogues– The need to consider responsibility of the

Society to a globally defined public interest

• Global Ethics issues include a global consideration of:– Dissemination/Interpretation, Enforcement,

Support

Global Ethics Issues

• Business ethics in other countries (bribery commonplace in some countries)

• Personal professional ethics in view of above

• Is a global Code of Ethics adopted by engineers practicable?

• Could a commonly supported Code foster long term change?

Example: Offshore Business

• Relocating businesses offshore:– Taking advantage of lax environmental

laws– Taking advantage of lax worker safety laws– Improves local worker conditions and

opportunities– Dislocates workers in former host country– Should engineers be concerned about

workers affected by business decisions in their ethics calculations?

Appropriate Technology

• Technologies that work well for us may be wrong for a developing economy (e.g. promoting energy intensive lifestyles in densely populated nations could be highly detrimental)

• Should an Engineering Society encourage its members to study and discuss these issues? Should it take a corporate stance on Energy and other technology issues?

Sustainable Technology

• Recognition of limits to fossil fuel energy• Understanding complexities of “unintended

side effects” of usage• Acid rain and Ozone depletion: can new

technologies develop cleaner processes while sustaining economic growth rates?

• Should Engineers lobby for more funding for non-fossil energy development (e.g. fusion, solar, tidal)?

Weapons Technology

• Problems of 10**8 unexploded land mines lurking in former war-torn countries – Vietnam, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Cambodia, etc.

• One casualty every 22 minutes. Are “Smart Mines” the answer?

• Unsolved problems of nuclear wastes from dismantling only a small percentage of nuclear weapons

• Security against nuclear terrorists

Weapons Technology (cont)

• Should engineers, who ultimately drive weapons technologies, be discussing:– The unintended side effects on innocents?– The humanity of the intended side effects?

• Where do engineers turn to participate in such a discussion, often relating directly to their technological specialties?

• What is our responsibility in these cases to “the global public”?

A Role For Engineering Societies

• Engineering Societies have a strong contribution to make two fronts:– Personal: In all countries, engineers should be

challenged to follow the Code of Ethics– Corollary: Societies must not only enforce, but lend

real support

• Global: Engineering Societies should encourage and lead a dialogue on transnational ethics involving cross fertilization with other professional disciplines (I.e. economics, politics, medicine, law, social sciences, religion)

A Role for IEEE

• IEEE has made a bold start and much has been accomplished

• The Code of Ethics defines the engineer’s ethical responsibilities. It should be expanded to better define the engineering society’s responsibility to provide meaningful support back to the ethical engineer, as well as the engineer’s responsibilities as emplyers

A Role for IEEE (cont)

• IEEE’s struggle with its Transnational identity should lead to increasingly creative contributions to Global Ethics

• This effort should be expanded to interface with other professional disciplines

• A Global Engineering Ethic would enrich both the profession of engineering and the global public it serves

Gerald L. Engel

Computer Science and Engineering

University of Connecticut, Stamford

1 University Place

Stamford, CT 06901-2315

203-251-8431

g.engel@computer.org