10.ETHICS AND VALUES IN ENGINEERING PROFESSION NOTES BY ARUN SHARMA DISCLAMER: THE MATERIAL IN THE NOTES IS NOT MY OWN AND I HAVE ONLY TRIED TO COMPILE THE SAID NOTES FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET FOR THE READING PURPOSE ONLY. MOREOVER, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT QUESTIONS IN THE UPSC WILL BE ASKED FROM THESE NOTES. INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS In everyday life, ethics often refers to principles of action that implement or promote moral or ethical values. It implies the willingness to accept the consequences of one’s actions. Morals refers to standards of right conduct. Definitions of ethics by different philosophers 1. Bentham : ethics may be styled as the art of self government 2. Preston : ethics is concerned about what is right , fair, just, or good; about what we ought to do, not just about what is the case or what is the most acceptable or expedient 3. Jonsen and hellegers: a body of prescriptions , do’s and don’ts 4. Means: the standards of conduct derived from the philosophical and religious traditions of society ETHICS IN ENGINEERING is the ability as well as responsibility of an engineer to judge his decisions from the context of the general wellbeing of the society. It is the study of moral issues that confront engineers and engineering organizations when some crucial decisions are taken. Engineering research and practice requires that the task being performed considers all the pros and cons of a certain action and its implementation. Ethical standards in engineering are influenced by many factors: 1. Engineering as an experimentation for the good of mankind is a notable factor involving far reaching consequence, 2. Ethical dilemmas make engineering decisions relatively difficult to make. 3. Risk and safety of citizens as a social responsibility is a prime concern of an engineer, 4. Technological advancement can be very demanding on the engineering skill in the global context, 5. Moral values and responsible conduct will play a crucial role in decision making. MORALS AND ETHICS Morals are the welfare principles enunciated by the wise people, based on their experience and wisdom. They were edited, changed or modified or evolved to suit the geography of the region, rulers (dynasty), and in accordance with development of knowledge in science and technology and with time. Morality is concerned with principles and practices of morals such as: (a) What ought or ought not to be done in a given situation? (b) What is right or wrong about the handling of a situation? and (c) What is good or bad about the people, policies, and ideals involved? Morality 1. More general and prescriptive based on customs and traditions. 2. More concerned with the results of wrong action, when done. 3. Thrust is on judgment and punishment, in the name of God or by laws. 4. In case of conflict between the two, morality is given top priority, because the damage is more. It is more common and basic. 5. Example: Character flaw, corruption, extortion, and crime. By ARUN SHARMA INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS Ethics 1. Specific and descriptive. It is a critical reflection on morals. 2. More concerned with the results of a right action, when not done. 3. Thrust is on influence, education, training through codes, guidelines, and correction. 4. Less serious, hence second priority only. Less common. But relevant today, because of complex interactions in the modern society. 5. Example: Notions or beliefs about manners, tastes, customs, and towards law Question: Whether morals are always subjective? Whether ethics can be objective? (Objective means it is universal towards everyone with no exception while subjective means it varies from person to person) WHAT IS A PROFESSION? AND WHETHER ENGINEERING IS A PROFESSION OR NOT. PROFESSIONS are those forms of work which involves advanced expertise, self- regulation( autonomy of the profession) and concerted service to the public good. Attributes of a profession include: 1. Work that requires sophisticated skills, the use of judgment, and the exercise of discretion. Also, the work is not routine and is not capable of being mechanized. 2. Membership in the profession requires extensive formal education, not simply practical training or apprenticeship. 3. The public allows special societies or organizations that are controlled by members of the profession to set standards for admission to the profession, to set standards of conduct for members, and to enforce these standards. 4. Significant public good results from the practice of the profession [ Schinzinger and Martin, 2000 ] In a profession, “judgment” refers to making significant decisions based on formal training and experience. “Discretion” can have two different meanings. The first defi nition involves being discrete in the performance of one’s duties by keeping information about customers, clients, and patients confi dential. The other definition of discretion involves the ability to make decisions autonomously. One thing not mentioned in the defi nition of a profession is the compensation received by a professional for his services. Although most professionals tend to be relatively well compensated, high pay is not a suffi cient condition for professional status. Entertainers and athletes are among the most highly paid members of our society, and yet few would describe them as professionals in the sense described previously. Although professional status often helps one to get better pay and better working conditions, these are more often determined by economic forces. By ARUN SHARMA INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS Earlier, reference was made to “professional” athletes and carpenters. Let’s examine these occupations in light of the foregoing defi nition of professions and see if athletics and carpentry qualify as professions. An athlete who is paid for her appearances is referred to as a professional athlete. Clearly, being a paid athlete does involve sophisticated skills that most people do not possess, and these skills are not capable of mechanization. However, substantial judgment and discretion are not called for on the part of athletes in their “professional” lives, so athletics fails the first part of the defi nition of “professional.” Interestingly, though, professional athletes are frequently viewed as role models and are often disciplined for a lack of discretion in their personal lives. Athletics requires extensive training, not of a formal nature, but more of a practical nature acquired through practice and coaching. No special societies are required by athletes, and athletics does not meet an important public need; although entertainment is a public need, it certainly doesn’t rank high compared to the needs met by professions such as medicine. So, although they are highly trained and very well compensated, athletes are not professionals. Similarly, carpenters require special skills to perform their jobs, but many aspects of their work can be mechanized, and little judgment or discretion is required. Training in carpentry is not formal, but rather is practical by way of apprenticeships. No organizations or societies are required. However, carpentry certainly does meet an aspect of the public good—providing shelter is fundamental to society—although perhaps not to the same extent as do professions such as medicine. So, carpentry also doesn’t meet the basic requirements to be a profession. We can see, then, that many jobs or occupations whose practitioners might be referred to as professionals don’t really meet the basic defi nition of a profession. Although they may be highly paid or important jobs, they are not professions. Before continuing with an examination of whether engineering is a profession, let’s look at two occupations that are definitely regarded by society as professions: medicine and law. Medicine certainly fits the defi nition of a profession given previously. It requires very sophisticated skills that can’t be mechanized, it requires judgment as to appropriate treatment plans for individual patients, and it requires discretion. (Physicians have even been granted physician–patient privilege, the duty not to divulge information given in confi dence by the patient to the physician.) Although medicine requires extensive practical training learned through an apprenticeship called a residency, it also requires much formal training (four years of undergraduate school, three to four years of medical school, and extensive handson practice in patient care). Medicine has a special society, the American Medical Association (AMA), to which a large fraction of practicing physicians belong and that participates in the regulation of medical schools, sets standards for practice of the profession, and promulgates a code of ethical behavior for its members. Finally, healing the sick and helping to prevent disease clearly involve the public good. By the defi nition presented previously, medicine clearly qualifi es as a profession. Similarly, law is a profession. It involves sophisticated skills acquired through extensive formal training; has a professional society, the American Bar Association(ABA); and serves an important aspect of the public good. (Although this last point is increasingly becoming a point of By ARUN SHARMA INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS debate within American society!) The difference between athletics and carpentry on one hand and law and medicine on the other is clear. The fi rst two really cannot be considered professions, and the latter two most certainly are. ENGINEERING AS A PROFESSION Using medicine and law as our examples of professions, it is now time to consider whether engineering is a profession. Certainly, engineering requires extensive and sophisticated skills. Otherwise, why spend four years in college just to get a start in engineering? The essence of engineering design is judgment: how to use the available materials, components, and devices to reach a specifi ed objective. Discretion is required in engineering: Engineers are required to keep their employers’ or clients’ intellectual property and business information confi dential. Also, a primary concern of any engineer is the safety of the public that will use the products and devices he designs.