PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

AND HUMAN VALUES

S.Vijayalakshmi
18.1.11



Sociologist Raymond Baumhart asked
business people, "What does ethics
mean to you?"


Among their replies were the following:

"Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell
me is right or wrong."

What is ethics?



"Ethics has to do with my religious
beliefs."

What is ethics?


"Being ethical is doing what the law
requires."

What is ethics?


"Ethics consists of the standards of
behavior our society accepts."


What is ethics?



"I don't know what the word means."
MORALITY VS ETHICS
Often used interchangeably


Morality more general and prescriptive

IMMORAL VS UNETHICAL
immoral stems from ones character


Unethical is sometimes due to
circumstances
What are values?

Courage

Beauty

Honesty

Compassion.
VALUES



Can values change from time to time?
VALUES
CAN CHANGE FROM TIME TO TIME

CAN CHANGE FROM CULTURE TO
CULTURE
VALUES


Where are values derived from?
VALUES DERIVED FROM
ENVIRONMENT
SELF
SOCIETY
CULTURE
HUMAN EXISTENCE
OUR EXPERIENCES
HUMAN VALUES
Essentially social products

At the same time involve individuals
goals and purposes in this social milieu
ENGINEERING ETHICS



What is engineering ethics?
ENGINEERING ETHICS
The study of the moral issues and
decisions confronting individuals and
organizations engaged in engineering

The study of related questions about the
moral ideals, character, policies, and
relationships of people and corporations
involved in technological activity.
ENGINEERING ETHICS
SENSES
ETHICS is an activity and area of inquiry
Ethical is different from non moral
Sometimes refers to a particular set of
beliefs, attitudes, and habits e.g ethics of
Martin Luther King

VARIETY OF MORAL ISSUES



Name a few engineering disasters
Challenger Explosion
Accidents
Chernobyl
Three Mile Island
Chemical plant at Bhopal
Exxon Valdez oil spill
These reached us coz of media but what
about other cases?
ENGINEERING ETHICS
MICRO ETHICS
Typical everyday problems that can take
significant proportions in an engineers life

MACRO ETHICS
Societal problems that are often shunted
aside until they resurface on a regional or
national scale
WHERE AND HOW DO MORAL
PROBLEMS ARISE?



ACTIVITY pg 6
VARIOUS STAGES
Conception
Design and manufacture
Testing
Sales
Service


These examples show how ethical
problems arise
Most often when there are differences of
judgment or expectations as to what
constitutes the true state of affairs or
Proper course of action