Ethics: Professionalism And Ethics

Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, first introduced virtue ethics as a method to describe how a good person should act. As such, virtues play a major role in every profession including engineering. Virtuous engineers make better decisions throughout the design and analysis of any component, item, or system. This paper begins with a description of Aristotelian virtue ethics followed by a discussion on the virtues I have gained while at Texas A&M University, virtues needed as a mechanical engineer, and methods of expanding these virtues.

Continuing on, Layton discusses the stages that an engineer goes through, from student to full member. He then states that some must show unwavering loyalty to succeed, and talks about conformism a bit more, some even going as far as to avoid “unorthodox dress.” Coming back to the phases of an engineer, Layton states that the final step is moving from engineering to business. Although this is not achieved by all, some do and completely sever ties with their previous engineering profession, using Charles M. Schwab as an

Following the Code of Ethics provided by APEGA is an important responsibility of those privileged to be a Professional Engineer. Though following the code might not be in ones best interest, it is meant to maintain the values and standards of the whole profession. Example below:

As with many other professions, civil engineering is deemed by society to be of higher ethical and moral standards due to the nature of our work affecting the general public in numerous ways. This comes as no surprise seeing as how our profession is responsible for planning and designing so much of the world around us. The roads we drive on, the

The engineer is required under section 77.8 to maintain the honor and integrity of the profession and without fear or favor expose before the proper tribunals unethical conduct. The engineer may choose to ignore the behavior of MMA officials and do nothing about it – 77.3 (act as a faithful agent), but there is a greater risk of being guilty of professional misconduct.

Hold Safety Paramount: Engineers must prioritize the safety, health and welfare of the public and should try to practice sustainability as often as possible. In order to do this, engineers must realize that major engineering decisions do impact the general public's well being and they must review their decisions to ensure that they are safe. Engineers with reasons to believe that a fellow engineer is not following the rules stated in Canon 1 must report this person to the authorities in charge.

Kris Dove, Engineering Licensure for Engineers Novia Scotia, talked about how to acquire a P.Eng and described what makes up Engineers Novia Scotia. Engineers Novia Scotia was formed in 1920 and is the licensing body for 6500 practicing engineers in Novia Scotia. They not only license engineers but they also oversee complaints. One of the complaints that he referred to in the presentation was the Westray mine disaster. In this disaster, people were killed because engineers did not design the mineshaft properly which resulted in an explosion. This brought some major changes to the regulatory procedures to improve safety of the public. I believe that it is crucial to have a well enforced code of ethics to properly protect the environment, the

There is much that can be said of engineering in terms of Aristotle’s theory of virtue ethics. Engineers must strive to attain a high level of virtuosity in both the intellectual and moral categories, as engineers can make decisions that affect the welfare and the very lives of those that use the products of their labor. While Texas A&M University does present many relevant virtues to its students in their coursework, these are mostly intellectual virtues; moral virtues will have to come through practice in each of our individual

In “Integrating Ethics and Design” by G.F. McLean, the author delves into the difficult relationship between engineering and ethics. He goes on to make the claim that ethics must be taught throughout the course of study for engineers and not as just one course to be taken towards the end of the degree plan. Oftentimes, when ethics is taught as a standalone course for engineers, it is viewed as a second-tier subject in the scope of the degree. In my experience, thus far in an ethics class, students do not approach the material with the same rigor that they would an engineering course which leads to the belief that the topic is not as important. I would like to argue that every person has their own natural code of ethics due to my experience in courses throughout my education that broach the subject. I will attempt to apply McLean’s solution on how ethics should be taught to engineers to my own education. I do not believe teaching ethics in many different courses

With the constant discovery of scientific principles and new engineering designs, the responsibility often lies in the hands of engineers to decide what is in the best interest of the public. Millions of people around the world use products and structures developed by engineers, every day. Before accepting work from a client, it is important that engineers have a good understanding of their own personal limitations. If work is accepted that they are “not competent to perform by virtue of [their] training and experience” , there is a clear disregard for public welfare and potential for a serious safety hazard. It is again evident that the

How does professional ethic play a role in the IT industry? How does the ACM code of ethics help set out the expectations of the professional’s behavior? Is a whistle-blowing morally permissible in some cases even if trust has been violated? In answering these questions, the paper will dive deeply into the definitions of professional ethics, trust, and ACM code of Ethics. Next, is the examination of De George’s model and how it applies to professional ethics and the analysis of a recent case involving Edward Snowden, an ex-NSA employee, who intentionally leaked sensitive US-government information.

As mentioned above, it is very important for engineers to understand their own responsibilities. In 1960, the Conference of Engineering Societies of Western Europe and the United States of America defined "professional engineer" as follows:1 “A professional engineer is competent by virtue of his/her fundamental education and training to apply the scientific method and outlook to the analysis

This being the case it is important for the engineer to consider the application to which the design will be used as well as how and to what extent it will be handled. In the instance that risks and dangers are present they must immediately be brought to the attention of the consumer, and if effected as a whole, the public.

Several cases have led to an awareness of the importance of ethics within the engineering profession as engineers realize how their technical work has far-reaching impacts on society. The work of engineers can affect public health and safety and can influence business practices and even politics.’’(Fledderman,2004)

To the ASME, improving the general welfare of society through the utilization of the specialized skills of engineers is highly stressed. One must consider the possible consequences of actions and decide the best course of action to benefit the safety and health of the public. The ASME