ENGINEERING ETHICS in 3D Gene Moriarty Department of Electrical Engineering San Jose State University

The Subject Matter of Ethics: Moral Dilemmas “A moral dilemma may be defined as a conflict a person experiences between two or more moral obligations in a particular circumstance.” Joe Herkert

List of Typical Engineering Ethics Issues Involving Conflicts of Obligation 1) conflict of interest 2) public safety and welfare 3) integrity of data & representation of it 4) whistle-blowing 5) choice of a job 6) accountability to clients and customers 7) plagiarism 8) trade secrets & industrial espionage 9) gift giving & bribes 10) fair treatment

To these as well as other high-profile ethics cases we apply: De-ontology Utilitarianism Virtue Ethics Etc.

to reject bribery in all its forms; IEEE Code of Ethics We, the members of the IEEE, in recognition of the importance of our technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the world, and in accepting a personal obligation to our profession, its members and the communities we serve, do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and agree: to accept responsibility in making engineering decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment; to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible, and to disclose them to affected parties when they do exist; to be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on available data; to reject bribery in all its forms; to improve the understanding of technology, its appropriate application, and potential consequences; to maintain and improve our technical competence and to undertake technological tasks for others only if qualified by training or experience, or after full disclosure of pertinent limitations; to seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical work, to acknowledge and correct errors, and to credit properly the contributions of others; to treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age, or national origin; to avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment by false or malicious action; to assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional development and to support them in following this code of ethics.   Approved by the IEEE Board of Directors August 1990

HISTORY OF CODES OF ETHICS 1803 First code of professional ethics (medical ethics) (Thomas Percival) 1852 ASCE (Civil Engineering) 1880 ASME (Mechanical Engineering) 1884 AIEE (Electrical Engineering) All these Professional Engineering Societies had CODES OF ETHICS

Engineering is 1) an art 2) a science 3) design 4) a profession 5) a business “Engineering is the practice of making good on the promise of technology.”

the project, the endeavor, the enterprise, the venture… the engineering project

Contexts of the engineering project: the human lifeworld systems technological systems the engineering project

the engineering project Ethical Assessment of the Engineering Project must ultimately take place within the Human Lifeworld. the human lifeworld the engineering project

The Human Lifeworld Wherein we pursue GOALS, enact ROLES, and take up with THINGS of all sorts… Wherein we talk to each other rather than about each other. Characterized by a human communication called THE CONVERSATION OF THE LIFEWORLD which is IDEALLY: Mutual / Interdependent / Genuine / Open / Honest / Non-Coercive

The Micro-view of the Engineering Project The Engineered The Engineer Engineering the engineering project

person / process / product The Engineer Engineers the Engineered.

the engineering project Virtue Ethics Conceptual Ethics PROCESS PERSON The Engineered Material Ethics PRODUCT

Three Types of Ethics VIRTUE ETHICS Care/objectivity/honesty CONCEPTUAL ETHICS Social Justice/Environmental Sustainability/Health & Safety MATERIAL ETHICS Engagement/Enlivenment/Resonance

ORIGINS VE ---- Stems from being-toward/being-with/being-for CE ---- Stems from “health, safety, welfare” phrase in CODES of ethics ME ---- Stems from interactions of product/end-user/world

MATERIAL ETHICS RESONANCE ENGAGEMENT ENLIVENMENT WORLD PRODUCT END-USER WORLD

Within the Conversation of. the Lifeworld the values of Within the Conversation of the Lifeworld the values of resonance / engagement / enlivenment are discussed. For example, “can such and such a product be engaging to the end-user”? “If so, how so”? “If not, why not”?

THREE LEVELS OF ADJUDICATION VIRTUE ETHICS – corporate level CONCEPTUAL ETHICS – professional level MATERIAL ETHICS – social level

THE ETHICS ENGINE

Over-all Ethical Assessment of the Engineering Project Integrates all three kinds of ethics. Can use as point of departure the over-all value function: J = α Jv + β Jc + γ Jm where α + β + γ = 1 and we assume all J’s range from -3 to +3.

Sub-Value-Functions J = α Jv + β Jc + γ Jm where α + β + γ = 1 α + β + γ = 1 and the sub-value-functions are Jv = αv Jv1 + βv Jv2 + γv Jv3 αv + βv + γv = 1 Jc = αc Jc1 + βc Jc2 + γc Jc3 αc + βc + γc = 1 Jm = αm Jm1 + βm Jm2 + γm Jm3 αm + βm + γm = 1

EXAMPLE: RFID Design Virtue Ethics: company ombudsman assesses the team effort as caring/honest/fair so we set Jv = +3. Conceptual Ethics: professional ethics committee decides that environment is not compromised but social justice can be and health & safety is fine so we set Jc = +1. Material Ethics: conversation of the lifeworld decides there is no resonance of product with world, end-user in her world is not enlivened, and end-user not engaged with product so we set Jm = -3 ---- with equal weightings we get over-all J = 0.333 (not so good, etc…)

“What would be the major consequence of complementing theoretical and practical ethics with real ethics? It would be the realization that we make our crucial decisions not as individuals, as consumers, taxpayers, and voters who navigate their course in preestablished and rigid channels, but as citizens, and not just citizens who pass on matters of civil rights and social welfare, but as citizens who take responsibility for the large design of our culture and either make it hospitable to commanding reality or continue to thicken its suffocating overlay of disposable reality.” --- Albert Borgmann