This assignment is designed to help you reflect on what you think it means to be an ethical engineer and what type of engineer you aspire to be. You will be writing a personal ethics statement.

Your assignment is to write a statement outlining how your personal ethics tie to the code of ethics for your engineering or computer science field. (If you don’t have a field with a code of ethics, tie back to the NSPE code of ethics.)

You should outline your personal experiences with ethics and relate this to your aspirations as an engineer. The attached slides may help you with jumping-off points. You should relate this back to the codes of ethics within your field, but word them in a way that they become personal to you. If an approach or test outlined in Chapter 2 resonated with you, feel free to include this.

Grading will be based on content rather than length. That being said, this should be 1-2 pages long, and it’s up to you whether it’s single or double spaced. In grading, we’ll be looking at the following:

· Did you cover the issues discussed in the assignment?

· Did you relate your personal ethics to the code of ethics for your field, and to what we’ve studied so far?

· Is it professional? Would you be ok if your boss saw this?

Side note: When applying to be a professional engineer or for management positions, some companies will ask for an ethics statement. If you don’t have a job yet, understanding your own viewpoint on ethics may help you in interviewing. Most large corporations place a strong emphasis on ethics.

Homework 2: Personal Ethics Statement

Outline for the assignment:

Your Personal Ethics

A. What is the basis of your personal ethics?

· This is as opposed to professional ethics (codes of ethics), common morality, and moral theories (virtue ethics, rights for persons, utilitarianism)

·
B. Examples of your personal ethics

· Might include something like:

· I grew up in a small community.

· I am a member of a religious community.

· My grandma always said …

· One defining moment in my personal ethical development was …

· II. Discuss Your Professional Goals

A. What are your professional goals, and why do this matter?

· III. Relate Your Personal Ethics to Professional Engineering Ethics

· A. Reference the Code of Ethics for your field

· B. Provide examples for how the Code of Ethics for your field is reinforced by your personal ethics

1-2 pages in length

· Single or double spaced – up to you

· More concerned about content than length

· Did you touch on issues discussed in the assignment?

· Did you relate it to what we’ve learned so far?

· Is it professional? Would you be ok if your boss saw this?

Hopefully Helpful Hints

· Three Types of Ethics:

· A. Common Morality

· B. Personal Ethics

Professional Ethics

Common Morality

· Content is often stated in rules.

· For example, Gert’s 10 Moral Rules:

· 1. Don’t kill

· 2. Don’t cause pain

· 3. Don’t disable

· 4. Don’t deprive of freedom

· 5. Don’t deprive of pleasure

· 6. Don’t deceive

· 7. Don’t break your promise

· 8. Don’t cheat

· 9. Don’t disobey the law

10. Don’t fail to do your duty

Basis of Personal Ethics

· Some examples may include:

· Commands of God (Divine Command Theory)

· Need for agreement to live together, like traffic rules (Community Theory)

· Rules that promote the greatest good for the greatest number (Utilitarianism)

· Rules that reinforce the moral agency of each individual (Respect for Persons)

Personal Ethics

· These may include ideals that go beyond what professional ethics requires

· Think about members of Doctors Without Borders or Engineers Without Borders

· Activity in these organizations goes above and beyond the call of duty

Professional Ethics

· Professionals are governed by standards that are created by their profession, stated in codes, and enforced in law.

· Professional standards are supposed to protect the public (prohibitive and preventative ethics)

What separates personal and professional ethics?

· The standards in professional ethics apply to all members of a profession, regardless of their personal morality (uniform expectations)

· These standards may in some cases be different from one’s personal morality

· Lawyer defending someone guilty of a serious crime

· Pacifist engineer designing military hardware

· Environmentalist engineer designing a dam that is harmful to the environment

· Professional ethics requires a degree of emotional separation (“professional distance”) from the patient, client, or employer. One relates to them as a
professional, not as a person.

· Professional ethics is most often delineated by Codes of Ethics that (unlike common morality) focus primarily on behavior, and not on intent or motivation. This is not to say that character and virtue are not important in professional ethics. Aspirational ethics, which we hope engineers will adopt, certainly involves intent and motives.

· Professional ethics allows professionals to accommodate their personal ethics (to some extent) by permitting the professional to refuse to render services when doing so would severely violate their personal ethics. The professional may, however, have some obligation to refer the patient/client to another professional.

Professional ethics cannot work entirely independent of common morality. Why?

· Professional ethics may not be detailed enough

· Professional ethics may not cover some areas

· Professional ethics may contain contradictory injunctions

· In engineering:

· Be loyal to your employer

· Protect the public

Major ideas in professional engineering codes

· From NSPE:

· Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public

· Perform services only in areas of their competence

· Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner

· Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees

· Avoid deceptive acts

· Conduct themselves honorably, responsibility, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession