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The application of ethics to engineering and the engineer’s moral responsibility: Perspectives for a research agenda

The application of ethics to engineering and the engineer’s moral responsibility: Perspectives... There are different possibilities for defining the areas for the application of ethics to engineering. They range from descriptive analysis of engineers’ relationship to moral criteria and extend to normative issues on how engineers should design more “sustainable” technology. In this paper, a frame of reference is proposed, which makes it possible to elaborate in a transparent manner goals for analysis of the scope of ethics in engineering. Its point of departure is marked by two questions: 1) which types of situation in the practice of engineering require ethical reflection? and 2) to what extent are engineers expected to assume moral responsibility in the practice of their profession? The answers to both of these questions presuppose reflection on the societal processes of setting definitions and of making ascriptions. Understanding these processes of societal “construction” of demands for ethical reflection in engineering and of engineers’ moral responsibilities should be an important objective of the analysis of ethics in engineering. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Science and Engineering Ethics Springer Journals

The application of ethics to engineering and the engineer’s moral responsibility: Perspectives for a research agenda

Science and Engineering Ethics , Volume 7 (3) – Mar 1, 2001

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References (21)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 by Opragen Publications
Subject
Philosophy; Ethics; Philosophy of Science; Engineering, general; Biomedical Engineering; Medicine/Public Health, general; Philosophy, general
ISSN
1353-3452
eISSN
1471-5546
DOI
10.1007/s11948-001-0063-1
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

There are different possibilities for defining the areas for the application of ethics to engineering. They range from descriptive analysis of engineers’ relationship to moral criteria and extend to normative issues on how engineers should design more “sustainable” technology. In this paper, a frame of reference is proposed, which makes it possible to elaborate in a transparent manner goals for analysis of the scope of ethics in engineering. Its point of departure is marked by two questions: 1) which types of situation in the practice of engineering require ethical reflection? and 2) to what extent are engineers expected to assume moral responsibility in the practice of their profession? The answers to both of these questions presuppose reflection on the societal processes of setting definitions and of making ascriptions. Understanding these processes of societal “construction” of demands for ethical reflection in engineering and of engineers’ moral responsibilities should be an important objective of the analysis of ethics in engineering.

Journal

Science and Engineering EthicsSpringer Journals

Published: Mar 1, 2001

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