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BME / IHE 6010
Academic Engineering Integrity
Engineering Ethics
Dave Kender
May 10, 2017
General Definition of Ethics
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The study of the characteristics of morals.
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The study of the moral choices made by each person
in his or her relationships with other persons.
Reference: Engineering Ethics by Fleddermann
Personal vs. Professional Ethics
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Personal Ethics:
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Deals with how we treat others in our day-to-day lives.
Business/Professional Ethics:
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Involves choices regarding relationships between organizations and other
organizations, government, and groups of individuals.
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The complexity of these relationships often pose dilemmas not encountered
in personal ethics.
Reference: Engineering Ethics by Fleddermann
Engineering Ethics
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The rules and standards which govern the conduct of engineers in
their role as professionals.
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Engineering ethics are similar to general ethics, but apply to the
specific issues which affect engineering professionals.
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Decisions made by engineers can impact public health, safety,
business practices and politics and as a result engineers must be aware
of moral implications as they make decisions in the workplace.
Reference: Engineering Ethics by Fleddermann
Why study engineering ethics?
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There is an increased awareness of its importance to
engineers due to publicity surrounding recent high
profile engineering failures

Decisions made by engineers can impact public
health, safety, business practices and politics

Engineers should be aware of moral implications as
they make decisions in the workplace
Reference: Engineering Ethics by Fleddermann
Why study engineering ethics?
continued
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Ethical problems in engineering are often complex and involve
conflicting ethical principles. Engineers must be able to intelligent
resolve these conflicts and reach a defensible decision
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The study of ethics can help engineers to develop a moral autonomy:
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The ability to think critically and independently about moral issues
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The ability to apply this moral thinking to situations that arise in the course
of professional engineering practice
Reference: Engineering Ethics by Fleddermann
Engineering Ethics
Standards, Rules, Guidelines
Moral or Socially Approved Conduct
Honesty, Truthfulness, Trustworthiness
Acting in the best interest of society
Ethical Standards exist independently accessible to all rational thinkers
Codification merely summarizes, rather than defines
Applies only to conduct that has significant impact
Ethics vs. Legalities
Legal Standards are defined in legal documents by a properly
appointed body. Legal documents and legal experts
determine what the law is and who must obey the law.
Ethical Standards are assumed to exist independently of any
sanctioning body and are apparent to rationale thinking.
Written forms of the standards merely describe the preexisting standards rather than define their very nature.
Ethical standards always supersede legal standards.
NCEES Model Rules of Professional Conduct
Preamble Safeguard life, health, and property
Promote the public welfare
Maintain high standards of integrity and practice
Issues Registration is a privilege not a right
Fair competition and avoid of conflict of interest
Rules Obligations to Society, Employers / Clients, other Engineers
Professional Engineering Web Resources
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http://www.cs.wright.edu/~dkender/ihe6010/engineering.htm