Engineering ethics concepts and cases 4th ed pdf

Engineering Ethics Fourth Edition CHARLES B. FLEDDERMANN University of New Mexico Prentice Hall Upper Saddle River • Boston • Columbus • San Francisco • New York • Indianapolis London • Toronto • Sydney • Singapore • Tokyo • Montreal • Dubai • Madrid Hong Kong • Mexico City • Munich • Paris • Amsterdam • Cape Town Vice President and Editorial Director, ECS: Marcia J. Horton Executive Editor: Holly Stark Editorial Assistant: William Opaluch Marketing Manager: Tim Galligan Production Manager: Pat Brown Art Director: Jayne Conte Cover Designer: Black Horse Designs and Bruce Kenselaar Full-Service Project Management/Composition: Vijayakumar Sekar, TexTech International Pvt Ltd Printer/Binder: Edwards Brothers Cover Printer: Lehigh-Phoenix Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on appropriate page within text. Copyright © 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, 1 Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturers and seller to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial caps or all caps. The author and publisher of this book have used their best efforts in preparing this book. These efforts include the development, research, and testing of the theories and programs to determine their effectiveness. The author and publisher make no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, with regard to these programs or the documentation contained in this book. The author and publisher shall not be liable in any event for incidental or consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing, performance, or use of these programs. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fleddermann, Charles B. (Charles Byrns), 1956– Engineering ethics / Charles B. Fleddermann. — 4th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-214521-3 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-13-214521-9 (alk. paper) 1. Engineering ethics. I. Title. TA157.F525 2012 174'.962—dc23 2011023371 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN 10: 0-13-214521-9 ISBN 13: 978-0-13-214521-3 Contents ABOUT THIS BOOK vii 1 Introduction 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1 Background Ideas 2 Why Study Engineering Ethics? 2 Engineering Is Managing the Unknown 3 Personal vs. Professional Ethics 4 The Origins of Ethical Thought 4 Ethics and the Law 4 Ethics Problems Are Like Design Problems 5 Case Studies 6 Summary 15 References 15 Problems 16 2 Professionalism and Codes of Ethics 2.1 Introduction 19 2.2 Is Engineering a Profession? 2.3 Codes of Ethics 24 Key Terms 33 References 34 Problems 34 19 3 Understanding Ethical Problems 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 18 37 Introduction 38 A Brief History of Ethical Thought 38 Ethical Theories 39 Non-Western Ethical Thinking 46 Key Terms 53 References 53 Problems 53 iii iv Contents 4 Ethical Problem-Solving Techniques 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Introduction 57 Analysis of Issues in Ethical Problems 57 Line Drawing 59 Flow Charting 62 Conflict Problems 63 An Application of Problem-Solving Methods: Bribery/Acceptance of Gifts Key Terms 71 References 71 Problems 72 5 Risk, Safety, and Accidents 56 65 74 5.1 Introduction 75 5.2 Safety and Risk 75 5.3 Accidents 79 Key Terms 98 References 98 Problems 99 6 The Rights and Responsibilities of Engineers 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Introduction 104 Professional Responsibilities Professional Rights 106 Whistle-Blowing 108 Key Terms 120 References 120 Problems 121 104 7 Ethical Issues in Engineering Practice 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 103 124 Introduction 125 Environmental Ethics 125 Computer Ethics 127 Ethics and Research 135 Key Terms 143 References 143 Problems 144 8 Doing the Right Thing References 155 Problems 155 150 Contents APPENDIX A Codes of Ethics of Professional Engineering Societies 157 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) 158 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) 163 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 164 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE) 168 Japan Society of Civil Engineers 169 APPENDIX B Bibliography General Books on Engineering Ethics 172 Journals with Articles on Engineering Ethics and Cases Websites 173 Index 157 172 173 174 v This page intentionally left blank About This Book Engineering Ethics is an introductory textbook that explores many of the ethical issues that a practicing engineer might encounter in the course of his or her professional engineering practice. The book contains a discussion of ethical theories, develops several ethical problem-solving methods, and contains case studies based on real events that illustrate the problems faced by engineers.