MORAL DILEMMAS

WHY STUDY
ENGINEERING
ETHICS?

INTRODUCTION
What is Ethics?
Ethics is the study of the characteristics of morals.
Ethics also deals with the moral choices that are made
by each person in his or her relationship with other
persons.

Engineering ethics is the rules and standards

governing the conduct of engineers in their role as
professionals.
It encompasses the more general definition of ethics,
but applies it more specifically to situations involving
engineers in their professional lives.

ETHICS
Study of human morality
Determining values in human conduct
Deciding the right thing to do - based upon a
set of norms
In Engineering:
dealing with colleagues
dealing with clients
dealing with employees
dealing with users
dealing with public

WHY FOCUS ON ETHICS?

Make decisions make the right choice
Take action do the right thing
Personal integrity and self-respect
Element of professional reputation
HIGH ETHICS -> HIGH PROFITS

ENGINEERING ETHICS
Engineering ethics is the study of moral values, issues
and decisions involved in engineering practice.
The moral values take many forms, including
responsibilities
ideal character traits
social policies
relationships desirable for individuals
corporation engaged in technological development.

ENGINEERING ETHICS
Teaching engineering ethics can achieve at least four
desirable outcomes:
increased ethical sensitivity
increased knowledge of relevant standards of conduct
improved ethical judgment
improved ethical will-power (i.e., a greater ability to act
ethically when one wants to).

SCOPE OF ENGINEERING ETHICS

ENGINEERING AS AN ETHICAL
PROFESSION
What is a Profession?
special expertise
shared moral values
dependent public
self-regulation
promote and protect right actions
The responsibility to be ethical
The right to be ethical
Values embedded in technology

Why Ethics?
Integral part of the success of your career
Integrity can be our most valuable asset,
Leads to trust in work relationships
Frees them from controls necessary
when trust doesnt exist

SO WHY BOTHER WITH ETHICS??

Specialknowledge
Involvedindecisionmaking

Practicing engineers are more apt to get into trouble as

a result of a failure to properly anticipate and handle
ethical problems rather than as a result of a traditional
engineering problems!

RESULT OF ETHICAL EQUATIONS

ETHICAL BEHAVIOR

Quality products
Conservation of resources
Pride in work
Public safety
Timeliness
GOOD BUSINESS

UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR

Shoddy products
Waste, fraud, greed
Abuse of expertise
Guilt, fear
Lack of safety
Cutting corners
-poor design
-rushed testing
DISASTERS!

ETHICAL ISSUED FACED BY ENGINEERS

Public Safety
Bribery and Fraud
Environmental Protection
Fairness
Honesty in Research and Testing
Conflicts of Interest

WHY STUDY ENGINEERING ETHICS?

Engineering ethics should be studied because it
is important , both in preventing grave
consequences of faulty ethical reasoning and in
giving meaning to engineers endeavors, but it is
complex. It cannot be understood through
casual observation.

WHY STUDY ENGINEERING ETHICS?

Increased awareness of importance due to publicity
surrounding high profile engineering failures.
Engineering decisions can impact public health, safety,
business practices and politics.

Engineers should be aware of moral implications as they

make decisions in the workplace.

WHY STUDY ENGINEERING ETHICS?

Study of ethics helps engineers develop a moral autonomy.

Ability to think critically and independently about moral

issues.

Ability to apply this moral thinking to situations that arise in

the course of professional engineering practice.

MORAL DILEMMAS

Moral dilemmas
A situation in which, whatever choice is
made, the agent commits a moral wrong.
1. Something morally
right
2. Something morally
wrong

Bad outcome

Good or better
outcome

Moral Dilemma
A woman was near death from a unique kind of
cancer. There is a drug that might save her. The drug
costs $4,000 per dosage. The sick woman's husband,
Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money
and tried every legal means, but he could only get
together about $2,000. He asked the doctor scientist
who discovered the drug for a discount or that he let
him pay later. But the doctor scientist refused.

Moral Dilemma
Should Heinz break into the laboratory to
steal the drug for his wife?
(Why or why not?)

Moral Stages

Lawrence Kohlberg (1927-87)

Kohlberg
Kohlberg proposed that moral reasoning,
which he thought to be the basis for ethical
behavior, develops through stages.

Moral Stages
Level 1: PRE-CONVENTIONAL
Level 2: CONVENTIONAL
Level 3: POST-CONVENTIONAL

Kohlbergs Stages
Level 1 (Pre-conventional)
Reasoners judge the morality of an action by its direct
consequences
Stage One: Obedience and Punishment
Stage Two: Individualism, Instrumentalism, and
Exchange

Heinz Dilemma
Stage One (obedience): Heinz should not
steal the medicine, because otherwise he will
be put in prison.

Pre-conventional level
Stage One (obedience orientation)
Individuals focus on the direct consequences
that their actions will have for themselves.

Heinz Moral Dilemma

Pre-conventional Level
Stage Two (self-interest): Heinz should steal the
medicine, because he will be much happier if he saves
his wife, even if he will have to serve a prison sentence.

Kohlbergs Stages
Stage Two (self-interest orientation):
what's in it for me position. Right behavior is
defined by what is in one's own best interest.

Socrates Dilemma
From a level two perspective, Socrates
should not die because

Kohlbergs Stages
Level 2 (Conventional)
People who reason in a conventional way judge the morality of
actions by comparing these actions to social rules and expectations.
Stage Three: Interpersonal Concordance ("Good boy/girl")
Stage Four: Law and Order

Heinz Moral Dilemma

CONVENTIONAL LEVEL
Stage Three (conformity): Heinz should steal the medicine,
because his wife expects it.

Conventional level
Stage Three (conformity orientation)
Individuals seek approval from other people. They judge the
morality of actions by evaluating the consequences of these
actions for a person's relationships.

Socrates Dilemma
Socrates should die because

Conventional level
Stage Four (law-and-order mentality).
In stage four, individuals think it is important to obey the law
and conventions of society.

Kohlbergs Stages
Level 3 (Post-conventional)
(Most people do not reach this level of moral reasoning)
Stage Five: Human Rights
Stage Six: Universal Ethical Principles (Principled Conscience)

PROCEDURES FOR FACING

MORAL DILEMMA

MORAL DILEMMA
Moral dilemmas often test our character and our commitment
to the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
Some moral dilemmas are simply complicated decisions
which must be thoroughly evaluated before choosing a
course of action.
Other choices are genuine moral dilemmas which challenge
our ability to makes fair and just choices.

MORAL DILEMMA
Some people have hypothetical minds that like to debate
what is right and wrong.
Sometimes, however, what is right and wrong is not so clear,
as is the case in a moral dilemma.

LONG,SHORT TERM
CONSEQUENCES
Moral dilemmas can also be evaluated on the basis of their
short-term and long-term consequences.
If short-term consequences are overshadowed by longterm benefits, then moral dilemma can find its ethical
solution by pursuing an outcome which obtains the
greatest long-term benefit for the greatest number of
people.

Should you always

tell the truth?
A murderer at the door is looking for your friend who is
hiding in your house.
Your co-worker is cheating on her time-sheet.
You witness a parking-lot accident.

Should you take this

job?
You are offered a job that will require you to do things that
you find morally questionable.
If you dont take it, someone else will.
Maybe you can work for good from the inside.
With the money you can take care of your family and even give
back to charities

MORAL DILEMMA
SCENARIOS
Debt to your Friend
What would you do?
There is a train that, is about to run over your own son, who
has been tied to its track.
It just so happens that you have only enough time to pull a
lever which will send the train down an alternate track saving
your son.
However, you see that, tied to the other track, is your best
friend, who recently saved your life and you have yet to
repay him for doing so.

SCENARIOS
Friendship
Right or wrong?
You have the responsibility of filling a position in his firm.
Your friend Paul has applied and is qualified, but someone
else seems even more qualified. You wants to give the job to
Paul, but you feels guilty, believing that you ought to be
impartial.
You gives the job to Paul. Was he right?

How to Respond to
an Ethical Dilemma

Assess the situation.

Responding to an ethical dilemma requires that you are
able to, in a sense, step back from the situation and
properly look at the situation as a whole.
You need to understand who is affected by the dilemma
aside from yourself, what potential decisions could be
made and what the outcomes of those decisions might be
for all those involved.
By gaining a wider perspective of the problem as a whole,
you will be more informed and able to make a decision
that is perhaps justifiable based on your assessment of
the circumstances.

How to Handle
MORAL Dilemmas
Discuss the issues with a trusted friend or colleague.
Understand that listening to an additional opinion can provide
more insight. It can also help you focus on issues that you may
have overlooked.
Spend time thinking about the appropriate decision to make.
Avoid thinking about your decision in terms of right or wrong,
as this can make it easier to be trapped in your own thoughts.

RESOLVING AN
MORAL DILEMMA

Step 1: Identify the Problem

Step 2: Identify the Potential Issues Involved
Step 3: Evaluate Potential Courses of Action
Step 4: Obtain Consultation
Step 5:Determine the Best Course of Action

Step 1: Identify the

Problem
Gather as much relevant information as
possible.
Talk to the parties involved.
Clarify if the problem is legal, moral, ethical or
a combination.

Step 2: Identify the Potential

Issues Involved
List and describe the critical issues.
Evaluate the rights, responsibilities and welfare of those affected by the
decision.
Consider basic moral principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence and justice.
Identify any competing principles.
Ascertain the potential dangers to the individuals, department or
college.

Step 3: Evaluate Potential

Courses of Action
Brainstorm ideas.

Enumerate the outcomes of various decisions.

Consider the consequences of inaction.

Step 4: Obtain Consultation

Colleagues or a supervisor can add an outside perspective.
Its a serious warning sign if you dont want to talk to another
person about actions you are contemplating.
You must be able to justify a course of action based on sound
reasoning which you can test out in the consultation.

Step 5:Determine the Best

Course of Action

Map out the best way to resolve the problem (e.g., who
should be contacted first if multiple parties are involved? Do
you need outside support? Do you need to talk to a
supervisor?).
Then consider who, if anyone, should know about the
problem (such as a work supervisor, friend, administrator or
colleague).

SOLVING THE DILEMMAS IN STUDENTS LIFE

There is only one way to solve the moral dilemma and that is
opting for one of the situations.
Parents and teachers play a major role in this task of solving
dilemmas for students.
Though they cannot be there with children everywhere, they
must mentally prepare their children to face such situations.
It is important to note that younger children base their moral
judgments on consequences and not on the motive behind
the act.

SOLVING THE DILEMMAS IN STUDENTS LIFE

This happens because many of the parents just
explain what is wrong but not why a certain thing is
wrong.
Explaining this helps children analyze the situation
better and solve the moral dilemma effectively.
Always appreciate the positive behavior of your
children without any conditions.

SOLVING THE DILEMMAS IN STUDENTS LIFE

For example, If your child is studying hard, appreciate it
but do not say that you will reward his hard work only if
he gets good marks. An overall good child development
process prepares students to face various moral
dilemmas in their school life.
It helps them cope with stressful events with ease and
stay content without losing mental peace.