Transcript Lecture #13 - Ethics - Definitions and Case Studies

ENGR 107 – Intro to Engineering
Ethics
(Lecture #13)
The slides included herein were taken from the materials accompanying
Engineering Fundamentals – An Introduction to Engineering, 4th Edition,
by Moaveni, and were used with permission from Cengage Learning.
Definitions
Morality:
is a sense of behavioral conduct that differentiates
intentions, decisions, and actions between those that
are good (or right) and bad (or wrong).
Moral Code:
is a system of morality (for example, according to a
particular philosophy, religion, culture, etc.)
Moral:
is any one practice or teaching within a moral code
Morals:
Rules or habits of conduct with reference to standards
of right and wrong
Ethics:
The word 'ethics' is commonly used interchangeably
with 'morality', and sometimes is used more narrowly
to mean the moral principles of a particular tradition,
group, or individual.
Ethics:
the philosophical study of the moral value of human
conduct and of the rules and principles that ought to
govern it.
Ethics:
a social, religious, or civil code of behaviour
considered correct, esp that of a particular group,
profession, or individual.
Case Studies
Case Study #1
You are the site engineer on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
You are responsible for the proper and safe operation of the
rig. Unfortunately, the drilling project is miserably over
budget and way behind schedule. The business manager is
being pressured to reduce cost and make up for lost time. As
a consequence, he is making decisions that are contradictory
to those which you know to be the correct ones ...
Case Study #2
You are the engineer on a NASA space flight program. The
latest launch of the space vehicle has been delayed twice now.
It is on the launch pad, but temperatures are below those
recommended for some of the parts of the vehicle. Given the
number of delays, the extra cost, and the delay imposed on
future launches, you are pressured to go ahead with this
launch ...
Case Study #3
You are the engineer at a building site. You are
knowledgeable in all aspects of pouring foundations, and you
know that in the given weather conditions you should prepare
the cement and allow it to cure in a very specific manner.
However, as usual, your project is behind schedule. You are
pressured to pour the foundation in a manner that you know is
incorrect for the current weather conditions ...
Questions?