Introduction

MANAKULA VINAYAGAR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

PUDUCHERRY-605107 Define ethics
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING
engineering
ethics
EE P82 PROFESSIONAL ETHICAL PRACTICE Difference
between mor
Seminar Title : Moral autonomy in And ethics
engineering ethics
Moral autonom

Presented by
Moral dilemm
t.SUNDARA KRISHNAN B.TECH
M.KIRUBAKAR B.TECH
Conclusion
 EE P82 PROFESSIONAL ETHICAL PRACTICE
SYLLABUS

The course should covered the following topics by way of

Seminars, Expert Lectures and ASSIGNMENTS Engineering Ethics–
Moral issues, Ethical theories and their uses engineering as
Experimentation– Code of Ethics Engineer’s responsibility for
safety Responsibilities and rights Global issues of engineering
ethics

REFERENCEBOOKS
Mike Martin and Roland Schinzinger, “Ethics in Engineering”, Tata
McGraw-Hill, 200
OUTLINE
Definition for Ethics and Engineering ethics
Difference between Moral and Ethics
Meaning of Autonomy and Definition
Skills for improving moral autonomy
Problems arise in engineering ethics
Challenges in handling moral issues
Approach of moral issues
Moral dilemmas
Situations leads to moral dilemmas
Consensus. and controversy
conclusion
What is Ethics?

 Study of right or wrong

 Good and evil
 Obligation and rights
 Justice
 Social and political deals.

What is Engineering Ethics?

Study of the moral issues and decisions confronting
individual and organizations engaged in engineering.
Moral standards/values and system of morals.
 Difference between Moral and Ethics

MORAL ETHICS

Refer only to personal behavior Refer only to Professional behavior

Refer to any aspect of human action Critical reflection on what one does and
why one does it

Social conventions about right or wrong Involves defining , analyzing, evaluating

conduct. and resolving moral problems.
 MORAL AUTONOMY
 MORAL AUTONOMY - One who gives oneself one’s
own law.
 AUTONOMY – self governing , act independently, Self-
determining.
 It is defined as a concept found in moral, political, ethical
philosophy.
 The ability to think critically and independently about
moral issues.
 Apply this moral thinking to all situations in professional
practice.
 It helps to improve self determination among the
individual.
SKILLS FOR IMPROVING MORAL AUTONOMY

 The engineers must have the ability to distinguish and relate

these moral problems with the problems of law, economics,
religions principles etc.
 They must possess(have) the skills of understanding,
clarifying and assessing the arguments which are against the
moral issues.
 They must have the ability to suggest the solutions to moral
issues, on the basis of facts. These suggestions must be
consistent and must include all the aspects of the problem.
 They must have the imaginative skill to view the problems from
all view points and also be able to suggest a proper alternative
solution.
PROBLEMS ARISE IN ENGINEERING ETHICS

• Examples
– Faculty construction equipment
– Applying for a permit to operate a nuclear power plant
– Chemical plant dumping wastes in a landfill
– Advertisements from an electronic company for a
product which is not ready for sale
• Engineer might be faced with contrary opinions
– Within the firm
– From the client
– From other firms within the industry
Challenges on Handling Moral
Issues
 To what extent can a supervisor be an authoritative guide to
engineer’s conduct ?
 What does one do when there are differences of judgement ?
 Should one always follow the law to the letter?

 Is an engineer to do no more than what the specifications

say, even if there are problems more serious than those

initially anticipated?
 How far does an engineer’s responsibility extend into the

realm of influencing the social impact of the projects he or

she participates in?
VARIETIES or APPROACHES OF
MORAL ISSUES

 MICRO-ETHICS:
◦ This approach stresses more about some typical and
everyday problems which play an important role in
the field of engineering and in the profession of an
engineer
 MACRO-ETHICS:

◦ This approach deals with all the social problems

which are unknown and suddenly burst out on a
regional or national level
MORAL DILEMMAS
• Dilemmas are situations in which
– Moral reasons come into conflict
– The application of moral values are problems, and
one is not clear of the immediate choice or solution of
the problems.
– Moral reasons could be rights, duties, goods or
obligations.
– These situations do not mean that things had gone
wrong, but they only indicate the presence of moral
complexity. This makes the decision making complex.
SITUATION LEADING TO MORAL DILEMMAS

The three complex situations leading to moral dilemmas

are:

The problem of vagueness

• One is unable to distinguish between good and bad
(right or wrong) principle. Good means an action
that is obligatory. For example, code of ethic
specifies that one should obey the laws and follow
standards. Refuse bribe or accept the gift, and
maintain confidentiality
CONT…
The problem of conflicting reasons
• One is unable to choose between two good moral
solutions. One has to fix priority, through knowledge
or value system.
The problem of disagreement
• There may be two or more solutions and none of them
mandatory. These solutions may be better or worse in
some respects but not in all aspects. One has to
interpret, apply different morally reasons, and analyze
and rank the decisions. Select the best suitable, under
the existing and the most probable conditions.
STEPS TO SOLVE MORAL DILEMMA

• Identification of the moral factors and reasons.

• Collection of all information, data, and facts
• Rank the moral options
• Generate alternate courses of action to resolve the
dilemma
• Discuss with colleagues and obtain their perspectives,
priorities, and suggestions on various alternatives
• Decide upon a final course of action, based on priority
fixed or assumed
 CONSENSUS AND CONTROVERSY

 Consensus means agreement.

 Controversy means Disagreement.

 The ethics make the engineers realize the importance of

tolerance among them in case of disagreement while
applying moral autonomy.

15
 conclusion
The autonomous people hold
moral beliefs and attitudes based
on their critical reflection rather
than on passive adoption of the
conventions of the society or
profession.