• hard work
• scientific truth
• shipping a product
• social stability
• creativity and ingenuity
• independence and originality
• responsibility for completeness

Chapter 6

Questions you ought to ask about the "ethical view" include

• WHAT is "the public interest?"
• HOW is it to be served?
• WHY must engineers conduct business in a certain way to serve it?
• WHO is it that decides what that certain way is?

You can guess that engineers (as do members of other professions) disagree on what constitutes the "ethical view." An ethical view must be referenced to some standard of "right" and "wrong." The standards of individuals vary wildly: not just in particulars, though members of a society will disagree about whether particular behaviors are right or wrong; but also in priorities, since each member of a society assigns levels of wrongness differently.

Examples of such controversial subjects include

• strong national defense v. disarmament
• protecting the environment v. using our available resources
• explore space v. benefit those on Earth

Is it possible to be "ethical" on either side of those issues? For me to consider either side "unethical" is to say

• that there's a correct answer to those questions
• that I know what that answer is

And if those points are true, what (or whom) does that make me? If you answered "God," you are absolutely correct. :-)

(Keep in mind, by the way, that sometimes ethical views come from religious belief. When that crosses into the engineer's sphere of influence, whose God is right?)

Chapter 7

It used to be that engineering ethics was a matter of professional self-governance. It still is, as far as

• professional societies still develop voluntary technical standards for components and systems, and we all pretty much adhere to those standards
• professional societies develop codes of ethics for their members

What usually happens with those codes of ethics is

• they are "one-size-fits-all," and address specific problems faced by any engineer pretty much by accident
• they are generally written in intentionally vague language, as legal personnel indicate that specific language is more likely to cause employees to want to bypass the specifics and break the rules a new way.

All this is to say that ultimately legislation took ethics out of the hands of the profession in many areas:

• conflicts of interest
• discrimination on the basis of race, gender, or age
• intellectual property
• product liability
• public safety

Some writers (e.g. Ron Khol of Machine Design) are inclined to view legislation (or at least the increasing volume of same) as unnecessary constraints on the engineering profession. Florman doesn't see it that way -- and usually I don't either. Here are four ways that legislation of ethics has helped the profession:

1. It reflects the will of the public. We know what our customers want.
2. It settles the matter. No further controversy.
3. It prevents society from rewarding the unscrupulous. Under a self-governed system, you may be ethical, but Murphy's Law absolutely insists that your competitor(s) will not be. Where are your ethics when your company is out of business?
4. It makes the act of placing the blame for failures on the profession silly. Now we (in most cases) adhere to the law, and when something fails there's either a paper trail to those responsible, or there's a problem with the law, or nobody really IS responsible. (Which is sometimes the case with failures.)

Chapter 8

Recalling the sources of human error, how we all make mistakes when we make them, there's a common thread:

• Most mistakes can be caught if we merely are conscientious about our work: don't rush, don't overlook details, don't forget steps, etc.
• Most of our own mistakes, which we haven't caught ourselves, will be caught if we merely pass our work through a review process. That can be embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as a failure. :-) So the review process can be seen as organizational conscientiousness.
• By being conscientious, we become more competent.

Florman argues that the conscientious engineer is the ethical engineer.

When should we disagree with management?

This is the question most engineers will ask in this context. The very short answer is "when the health or well-being of others is at stake." When you have a disagreement,

• remember that decisions aren't made based on engineering considerations alone
• document everything you say and do
• discuss the disagreement with the boss in private first, and failing to reach agreement there, try to enlist the support of others without criticizing the boss

Ethics per Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

"Scientific morality" suggests that results are to be reported disinterestedly, allowing hearers to interpret for themselves the significance of the results. No social system works this way, however. In business, time and the need of a result NOW are of the essence. For this reason, scientific and technical views are at times ignored by the business and management sides. This is what Feynman calls the "wrong result" of being disinterested.

The scientific view leaves room for uncertainty and doubt, which Feynman considers crucial to progress. Other views (e.g. political and religious) often suggest not only that "there is right and there is wrong, and that distinction is not difficult to make."

Final Word

Susskind offers an "Engineering Hippocratic Oath":

I solemnly pledge myself to consecrate my life to the service of humanity. I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due; I will be loyal to the profession of engineering and just and generous to its members; I will lead my life and practice my profession in uprightness and honor; whatever project I shall undertake, it shall be for the good of mankind to the utmost of my power; I will keep far away from wrong, from corruption, and from tempting others to vicious practice; I will exercise my profession solely for the benefit of humanity and perform no act for a criminal purpose, even if solicited, far less suggest it; I will speak out against evil and unjust practice wheresoever I encounter it; I will not permit considerations of religion, nationality, race, party politics, or social standing to intervene between my duty and my work; even under threat, I will not use my professional knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity; I will endeavour to avoid waste and the consumption of non-renewable resources. I make these promises solemnly, freely, and upon my honor.

References

IEEE Code of Ethics
Feynman, C & M. The Pleasure of Finding Things Out. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books, 1999. ISBN 0-738-20108-1
Florman, S. The Civilized Engineer. NYC: St. Martin's Press, 1987. ISBN 0-312-02559-9
Maggin, E. Kingdom Come. NYC: Warner Books, 1998. ISBN 0-446-60669-3
Susskind, C. Understanding Technology. Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1973. ISBN 0-801-81304-2