PE020IU
Engineering Ethics and Critical Thinking
Instructor: Dr. Vu Thanh Binh
School of Biomedical Engineering
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COURSE OVERVIEW
Course Objectives
1. Understand engineering ethics, codes of ethics, and
intellectual property
2. Resolve ethical dilemmas
3. Develop critical thinking: Identify and construct arguments
4. Teamwork skills and defending viewpoints
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Course Information
1. Materials/Assignment: Blackboard
2. Course Grading:
§ Attendance: 10%
§ Presentation: 40% (late submission -20%)
§ Discussion: 2 points/question
§ Final exam: 50%
3. Contact: vtbinh@[Link]
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Class textbooks
1. M. W. Martin & E. Schinzinger, "Ethics in Engineering", McGraw Hill, 4th
ed.
2. C. B. Fleddermann, "Engineering Ethics", Pearson Prentice Hall, 3rd or 4th
ed.
3. Seebauer, E.G. and Barry, R.L. Fundamental of Ethics for Scientists and
Engineers (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001).
4. C.E. Harris, Jr., M. S. Pritchard & M. J. Rabins, "Engineering Ethics -
Concepts and Cases", Thomson Wadsworth, 4th ed.
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ENGINEERS IN SOCIETY
What is Engineering?
“How does an engineer differ from a skilled technician or a scientist?”
The application of science and mathematics to solve practical problems for the
benefit of humanity.
Keywords: Design, Solution, Public Welfare.
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Job vs. Profession
v Characteristics of a “Profession”
à Advanced expertise
à Self-regulation/Autonomy
à Service to the public good
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Profession?
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Autonomy?
• Autonomy means self-determining, but not just any kind of
independent reflection about ethics amounts to moral autonomy.
• Moral autonomy can be viewed as the skill and habit of thinking
rationally about ethical issues on the basis of moral concern and
commitment.
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Engineering as a Profession
v Why is Engineering considered a
“Profession”?
à Requires formal education (Bachelor’s
degree or higher).
à Has professional societies (VUSTA, IEEE,
ASCE, etc.).
à Has its own Code of Ethics.
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The Social Contract
• Society grants engineers high status
and authority.
• In return, engineers must commit to
ensuring safety and public welfare.
Example: Doctors take the Hippocratic
Oath; Engineers pledge to hold safety
paramount.
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WHAT IS ENGINEERING ETHICS?
Defining Ethics
• Ethics is not just complying with the law (Law
vs. Ethics).
• Ethics is not just personal feelings or religion.
• Ethics is the study of right/wrong, good/bad
based on reason and principles.
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Engineering Ethics Definition
The study of decisions, policies, and values that
are morally desirable in engineering practice.
It involves not only “preventing harm” (Preventive
Ethics) but also “doing good” (Aspirational Ethics).
Engineering ethics consists of the responsibilities
and rights that ought to be endorsed by those
engaged in engineering, and also of desirable
ideals and personal commitments in engineering.
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Why Study Engineering Ethics?
• Engineers control technologies that can
cause significant harm (Weapons, chemicals,
bridge collapses, etc.).
• To handle workplace pressures: Time
(Deadlines), Cost (Budget) vs. Quality/Safety.
• To protect oneself and one’s professional
career.
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Why study Engineering Ethics?
v Engineering ethics should be studied
because it is important, both in contributing
to safe and useful technological products
and in giving meaning to engineers’
endeavors.
à to increase our ability to deal effectively
with moral complexity in engineering.
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Why study Engineering Ethics?
v The study of engineering ethics strengthens our
ability to reason clearly and carefully about moral
questions. To invoke terms widely used in ethics,
the unifying goal is to increase moral autonomy
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Micro-ethics vs. Macro-ethics
• Micro-ethics: Decisions made by individual
engineers (e.g., Should I accept a bribe?
Should I falsify data?).
• Macro-ethics: The profession's collective
responsibility to society (e.g., Sustainable
development, AI replacing humans).
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DISCUSSION & ACTIVITY
Discussion Topic
Scenario: ”You are a supervising engineer. The contractor suggests substituting a slightly cheaper steel that is still
‘good enough’ based on their experience, to meet the deadline. Your boss also wants to finish early to get paid.
What do you do?”
Objective: Identify the conflict between Profit - Schedule - Safety.
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Summary of 3 key points
Engineering is a profession - Public safety is
paramount - Ethics helps make correct decisions.
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1. The Moral Dilemma of Autonomous Vehicles
•Problem: When an accident is unavoidable, who
should the autonomous vehicle be programmed to
prioritize protecting? (Passengers inside the vehicle or
pedestrians? The elderly or children?).
•Critical thinking question: Who bears the legal and
ethical liability when AI causes an accident: The
programmer, the manufacturer, or the user?
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2. Generative AI Ethics
•Problem: Using AI to write code, reports, or create
artwork. The boundary between a “support tool” and
“cheating/plagiarism.”
•Critical thinking question: Does reliance on AI
atrophy human critical thinking? Analyze the arguments
for and against banning AI in schools and workplaces.
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3. Facial Recognition vs. Privacy
•Problem: Balancing public security (catching criminals,
locating missing persons) and individual privacy (mass
surveillance).
•Critical thinking question: Is it true that “if you have
done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear”? Analyze
the fallacy in this argument.
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4. Algorithmic Bias
•Problem: AI systems used in recruitment, lending, or
crime prediction often exhibit bias against marginalized
groups due to skewed input data.
•Critical thinking question: What is the responsibility of
the data engineer? How can one argue to persuade a
company to incur additional costs to clean data
(“Fairness” vs. “Efficiency”).
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5. Planned Obsolescence
•Problem: Tech companies design products (phones,
laptops) to fail quickly or be difficult to repair in order to
force users to buy new ones.
•Critical thinking question: Is this a smart business
strategy or unethical behavior? Analyze from the
perspectives of Duty Ethics (obligation to customers)
and Environmental Ethics.
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6. Electric Vehicles: Green or Greenwashing?
•Problem: EVs emit no exhaust while running, but the
battery production and disposal processes cause
serious pollution.
•Critical thinking question: Evaluate the argument that
“Electric vehicles are the solution to save the
environment.” Are we simply shifting pollution from one
place to another?
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7. Nuclear Power Debate
•Problem: Nuclear energy is clean (low carbon) but
carries high risks of disaster and issues regarding
permanent waste storage.
•Critical thinking question: Compare the risks versus
benefits (Utilitarianism). Analyze common fallacies in
nuclear power debates (e.g., equating nuclear power
with nuclear bombs).
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8. Whistleblowing: Traitor or Hero?
•Problem: Case studies such as the Boeing 737 Max or
the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. When should
engineers report company misconduct externally?
•Critical thinking question: The conflict between
loyalty to the employer and responsibility to the public
(Public Safety).
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9. Automation & Job Displacement
•Problem: Engineers design automated assembly lines
that increase productivity but result in thousands of
workers losing their jobs.
•Critical thinking question: What responsibility do
engineers have toward those displaced by the
technology they create? Refute the view that
“Technological progress is inevitable; those who cannot
keep up will be left behind.”
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10. Conflict of Interest
•Problem: A supervising consultant engineer has a
relative working for a subcontractor company.
•Critical thinking question: The boundary between
“networking” and “corruption/cronyism.” Analyze the
regulations in the Code of Ethics.
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11. Gene editing technology (CRISPR & Designer
Babies)
•Problem: Using technology to cure genetic diseases
(good) vs. using it to “design” smarter or more beautiful
children (controversial).
•Critical thinking question: If this technology is only
accessible to the wealthy, will it create permanent
biological inequality? (A question of social justice).
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12. Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWS)
•Problem: Developing autonomous weapons capable of
selecting and destroying targets without human
intervention.
•Critical thinking question: Should this research be
banned completely? Are engineers working in the
defense industry exempt from ethical responsibility “for
the sake of national security”?
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13. Deepfake & Truth in the Digital Age
•Problem: Deepfake technology can create realistic
fake videos of celebrities or politicians.
•Critical thinking question: How do we define “Truth”?
The impact of Deepfakes on social trust and democracy.
Are the engineers who created this tool at fault?
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14. Proprietary vs. Open Source
•Problem: White-hat hackers cracking software to find
security vulnerabilities or to share it with poor
communities who cannot afford licenses.
•Critical thinking question: Analyze cracking behavior
from the perspectives of Deontology (violating property
laws) and Utilitarianism (benefit for the majority of
users).
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