Transcript Ethics in Engineering

Ethics in Engineering
Jerry C. Collins
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Vanderbilt University
Overview of Presentation
• Fundamentals of Ethics
• Ethics Education in Engineering
• Codes of Ethics
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
National Society of Professional Engineers
IEEE
ASME
BMES
• Examples of Ethical Dilemmas
• Exercise in Ethical Decision Making
Ethical issues permeate our world…
“I always thought of myself
as a man of science.”
“Then you’re in a state of
conflict.”
Definitions of Ethics
•
•
The study of the general nature of
morals and of the specific moral
choices to be made by a person;
moral philosophy.
The rules or standards governing
the conduct of a person or the
members of a profession: medical
ethics.
Levels of Technology
• Development and use of devices and techniques
Software
Products
Gene-transfer vector
• Effects that come in the wake of new devices and
techniques
Intensive care unit
Living will
Radioactive waste
• Way of relating to the world
Enhancement technologies
Objects for human manipulation
Rejection of given
Humanity exerts power
Humanity as creator, or created cocreator
Attitudes toward Technology
“Even using the yardstick of the ancient Greeks,
our whole modern existence is nothing but hubris
and godlessness….
Hubris today characterizes our whole attitude
towards nature, our rape of nature with the help of
machines and the completely unscrupulous
inventiveness of technicians and engineers.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy
of Mortality, Cambridge Press, New
York, 1994, 86.
What is “hubris?”
• A Casey Clausen press conference
• Detritus on the Outer Banks after a
hurricane
• Exaggerated pride or self-confidence
What is “hubris?”
• A Casey Clausen press conference
• Detritus on the Outer Banks after a
hurricane
• Exaggerated pride or self-confidence
Teaching engineering ethics . . . can achieve at least four
desirable outcomes:
a) increased ethical sensitivity;
b) increased knowledge of relevant standards of conduct;
c) improved ethical judgment; and
d) improved ethical will-power (that is, a greater ability to
act ethically when one wants to).
Davis, M. “Teaching ethics across the engineering curriculum.”
Proceedings of International Conference on Ethics in
Engineering and Computer Science. Available online at:
http://onlineethics.org/essays/education/davis.html.
Ethical responsibility...involves more than leading
a decent, honest, truthful life. . . . And it involves
something much more than making wise choices
when such choices suddenly, unexpectedly
present themselves. Our moral obligations must . .
. include a willingness to engage others in the
difficult work of defining the crucial choices that
confront technological society . . . .
Langdon Winner, 1990. “Engineering ethics and political imagination.”
Pp. 53-64 in Broad and Narrow Interpretations of Philosophy of
Technology: Philosophy and Technology 7, edited by P. Durbin.
Boston: Kluwer. Cited in Joseph R. Herkert, “Continuing and Emerging
Issues in Engineering Ethics Education,” The Bridge, 32(3), 2002.
Professional Codes of Ethics
• Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology (ABET)
• National Society of Professional
Engineers (NSPE)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers (IEEE)
• American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME)
• Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology)
Code of Ethics of Engineers
The Fundamental Principles
Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor, and dignity of the
engineering profession by:
I. using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare;
II. being honest and impartial, and serving with fidelity the public, their
employers, and their clients;
III. striving to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering
profession; and,
IV. supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines.
Who are the groups to be
benefited in the ABET Code
of Ethics?
ABET Code of Ethics of Engineers
The Fundamental Principles
Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor, and dignity of the
engineering profession by:
I. using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare;
II. being honest and impartial, and serving with fidelity the public, their
employers, and their clients;
III. striving to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering
profession; and,
IV. supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines.
Groups Who Benefit (ABET)
•
•
•
•
•
•
The human family
Public
Employers
Clients
Profession
Professional and technical societies
ABET Code of Ethics of Engineers
The Fundamental Canons
1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of
the public in the performance of their professional duties.
2. Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their
competence.
3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and
truthful manner.
4. Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or
client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of
interest.
5. Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of
their services and shall not compete unfairly with others.
6. Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the
honor, integrity, and dignity of the profession.
7. Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout
their careers and shall provide opportunities for the professional
development of those engineers under their supervision.
ABET Program Outcomes
Engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates have
• Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering
• Ability to design and conduct expts, analyze and interpret data
• Ability to design system, component, or process
• Ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
• Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
• An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Broad education necessary to understand engineering impact in a
global and societal context
• Recognition of need for and ability to engage in life-long learning
• Knowledge of contemporary issues
• Ability to use techniques, skills and modern engineering tools
necessary for engineering practice
Ethics in ABET Program Outcomes
Engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates have
• Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering
• Ability to design and conduct expts, analyze and interpret data
• Ability to design system, component, or process
• Ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
• Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
• An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Broad education necessary to understand engineering impact in a
global and societal context
• Recognition of need for and ability to engage in life-long learning
• Knowledge of contemporary issues
• Ability to use techniques, skills and modern engineering tools
necessary for engineering practice
Engineering Ethics Education
Current State
• Awareness of need is increasing
– Social issues
– ABET accreditation standards
• 70% of accredited programs have no ethics course
requirement (Stephan, 1999)
• Key concept: "professional responsibility" (moral
responsibility based on an individual's special knowledge)
(Whitbeck, 1998).
• Typical concerns: conflicts of interest, integrity of data,
whistle-blowing, loyalty, accountability, giving credit where
due, trade secrets, gift giving and bribes (Wujek and
Johnson, 1992).
Herkert, The Bridge, 32(3), 2002
Engineering Ethical Education
Issues to be Considered
• Ethical implications of public policy relevant to
engineering:
Sustainable development
Health care
Risk and product liability
Information technology
• Culturally embedded engineering practice
(institutional and political aspects of engineering,
such as contracting, regulation, and technology
transfer)
• Macroethical issues (e.g., overconsumption)
Herkert, The Bridge, 32(3), 2002
Sustainable Development
The guiding principle of sustainable development is
development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs. Sustainable development recognizes the
interdependence of environmental, social and economic
systems and promotes equality and justice through
people empowerment and a sense of global citizenship.
Whilst we cannot be sure what the future may bring, a
preferable future is a more sustainable one.
Encyclopedia of Sustainable Development
http://www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/esd/menu.html
National Society of Professional
Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics
. Fundamental Canons
Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall:
1. Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public.
2. Perform services only in areas of their competence.
3. Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
4. Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.
5. Avoid deceptive acts.
6. Conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and
lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of
the profession.
(More extensive Rules of Practice follow in the Code)
http://www.nspe.org/ethics/eh1-code.asp
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:
1. 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;
2. to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever
possible, and to disclose them to affected parties when
they do exist;
IEEE Code of Ethics (cont.)
3. to be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates
based on available data;
4. to reject bribery in all its forms;
5. to improve the understanding of technology, its
appropriate application, and potential consequences;
6. 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;
7. to seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical
work, to acknowledge and correct errors, and to credit
properly the contributions of others;
IEEE Code of Ethics (concl.)
8. to treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as
race, religion, gender, disability, age, or national origin;
9. to avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or
employment by false or malicious action;
10. to assist colleagues and co-workers in their
professional development and to support them in
following this code of ethics.
http://www.ieee.org/portal/index.jsp?pageID=corp_level1&p
ath=about/whatis&file=code.xml&xsl=generic.xsl
ASME Code of Ethics
Code of Ethics of Engineers
from The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor, and
dignity of the Engineering profession by:
I. using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement
of human welfare;
II. being honest and impartial, and serving with fidelity
the public, their employers and clients, and
III. striving to increase the competence and prestige of
the engineering profession.
ASME Code of Ethics
Code of Ethics of Engineers From ASME
THE FUNDAMENTAL CANONS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the
public in the performance of their professional duties.
Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their
competence.
Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout
their careers and shall provide opportunities for the professional
development of those engineers under their supervision.
Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client
as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.
Engineers shall build their professional reputations on the merit of
their services and shall not compete unfairly with others.
Engineers shall associate only with reputable persons or
organizations.
Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and
truthful manner.
BMES Code of Ethics
Biomedical engineering is a learned profession that combines expertise and
responsibilities in engineering, science, technology, and medicine. Mindful that public
health and welfare are paramount considerations in each of these areas, the Society
identifies in this Code principles of ethical conduct in professional practice, health care,
research, and training. This Code reflects voluntary standards of professional and
personal practice recommended for biomedical engineers.
Biomedical Engineering Professional Obligations
Biomedical engineers in the fulfillment of their professional engineering duties shall:
1. Use their knowledge, skills, and abilities to enhance the safety, health, and welfare
of the public.
2. Strive by action, example, and influence to increase the competence, prestige, and
honor of the biomedical engineering profession.
Biomedical Engineering Health Care Obligations
Biomedical engineers involved in health care activities shall:
1. Regard responsibility toward and rights of patients, including those of
confidentiality and privacy, as a primary concern.
2. Consider the broader consequences of their work in regard to cost, availability, and
delivery of health care.
BMES Code of Ethics (Cont.)
Biomedical Engineering Research Obligations
Biomedical engineers involved in research shall:
1. Comply fully with legal, ethical, institutional, governmental, and other
applicable research guidelines, respecting the rights of and exercising the
responsibilities to human and animal subjects, colleagues, the scientific
community and the general public.
2. Publish and/or present properly credited results of research accurately
and clearly.
Biomedical Engineering Training Obligations
Biomedical engineers entrusted with the responsibilities of training others
shall:
1. Honor the responsibility not only to train biomedical engineering students
in proper professional conduct in performing research and publishing results,
but also to model such conduct before them.
2. Keep training methods and content free from inappropriate influence of
special interests.
THE DILEMMA OF BIOENGINEERING
RESEARCH ON HUMAN SUBJECTS
“Times are difficult for
researchers using human
subjects.”
The Scientist 14:1, 2000.
THE DILEMMA OF BIOENGINEERING
RESEARCH ON HUMAN SUBJECTS
“Make the rules protecting patients too
lax, and subjects will suffer and even die
needlessly. Make them too strict, and
lifesaving medications won’t make it out
of the lab quickly enough to help the
people who need them most.”
Time, April 22, 2002.
TIMELINE: 1932 - present
2000 – OHRP
1991 – The Common Rule (OHSR)
1979 – Belmont Report
1999 – death
of Jesse
Gelsinger
1974 – National Research Act (OPRR)
1970 – Tuskegee Study exposed
1964 – Declaration of Helsinki
1947 – Nuremberg Code
1950’s – Thalidomide tragedy
1940 – Nazi medical experiments
THE NAZI DOCTORS
At a second trial of medical
underlings, Dr. Edward
Katzenellenbogen, a former
member of the faculty of
the Harvard Medical School,
asked the court for the
death sentence. “Any
physician who committed
the crimes I am charged
with deserves to be killed,”
he exclaimed. He was given
life imprisonment.
Shirer WL. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, 1960.
Nuremberg Code (1947)
“ethical yardstick against which defendants were judged”
• informed consent
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risk & benefit (equipoise)
subject can terminate her/his involvement
experiment should be based upon prior animal studies
only scientifically qualified individuals should conduct
human experimentation
• physical and mental suffering and injury should be
avoided
• there should be no expectation that death or disabling
injury will occur from the experiment
Conditions for Clinical Trial
Participation
• Under what conditions would you
participate in a clinical trial of a drug
or device or procedure?
• Under what conditions would you
allow a friend or a member of your
family to participate in a clinical trial?
USPHS Study of Syphilis
• 1932: Started as a short
study (6-8 months) with 200300 syphilitic black males in
Macon County
• Free medical examinations
• Not told of their disease,
not treated
• Study continued with yearly
physicals
Conditions for Clinical Trial
Participation
• Under what conditions would you
participate in a clinical trial of a drug
or device or procedure?
• Under what conditions would you
allow a friend or a member of your
family to participate in a clinical trial?
Ethics in ABET Program Outcomes
Engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates have
• Ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering
• Ability to design and conduct expts, analyze and interpret data
• Ability to design system, component, or process
• Ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
• Ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
• An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
• Ability to communicate effectively
• Broad education necessary to understand engineering impact in a
global and societal context
• Recognition of need for and ability to engage in life-long learning
• Knowledge of contemporary issues
• Ability to use techniques, skills and modern engineering tools
necessary for engineering practice