Module 2

Question Bank
 Senses of Engineering Ethics, Variety of moral issues, Types of inquiry
 Moral dilemmas, Moral Autonomy, Kohlberg’s theory
 Gilligan’s theory, Consensus and Controversy, Profession& Professionalism, Models of professional
roles, Theories about right action
 Self interest-Customs and Religion, Uses of Ethical Theories

1. What are the different types of enquiries in solving ethical problems?

TYPES OF INQUIRY
• Inquiry means an investigation.
• Engineering ethics also involves investigations into values, meaning and facts. Inquiries in the field of
engineering ethics are of three types.
1.) Normative Inquiries
2.) Conceptual Inquiries
3.) Factual or Descriptive Inquiries
Normative Inquiries
• These inquiries are mostly helpful to identify the values which guide the individuals and groups in
taking a decision
• Identifying and justifying some norms and standards of morally desirable nature for guiding
individuals as well as groups.
Conceptual Inquiries
These are meant for describing the meaning of concepts, principles, and issues related to Engineering
Ethics Factual / Descriptive Inquiries
These help to provide fact for understanding and finding solutions to value based issues.

2. What is moral autonomy?

 Moral Autonomy is the philosophy which is self-governing or self-determining
 The moral autonomy is the ability to think critically and independently about moral issues and apply
this moral thinking to situations that arise during the professional engineering practice.
 Moral autonomy helps in improving self determination.
Skills required for Moral Autonomy
• Ability to relate the problems with the problems of law, economics and religious principles
• Skill to process, clarify and understand the arguments against the moral issues
• Ability to suggest the solutions to moral issues
• Must have the imaginative skill to view the problems from all the viewpoints
• Tolerance while giving moral judgment.
3. Compare Gilligan’s theory with Kohlberg theory on moral development./ Explain the three main
levels of moral developments, deviced by Carol Gilligan
Kohlberg theory Gilligan’s theory

Lawrence Kohlberg proposed that people progress Carol Gilligan opines that Kohlberg’s theories are
in moral reasoning based on their ethical behavior biased upon the male thinking process
He postulated this theory based on the thinking of Men had a tendency to solve problems by applying
younger children throughout their growing period ethical principles
as adults.
He conveyed that younger children make She proposed a theory which has the same three
judgment based on the consequences that might stages of Kohlberg but with different stages of moral
occur and the older children make judgment based development.
on their intuitions.
3 Stages of Kohlberg’s Theory Stages of theory
1. Pre-conventional Level The first level of • Pre-conventional Level A person in this stage
moral thinking, which is generally found at cares for oneself to ensure survival.
Elementary school level. The thinker at • Conventional Level In this stage, the person feels
this stage tends to think and behave based responsible and shows care towards other people.
on the direct consequences that might • Post-conventional Level This is the stage, where
occur the principle of care for self as well as others, is
There are two sub-stages in this. accepted.
a. Avoid Punishments b. Self–interest
2. Conventional Level The second level of
moral thinking, which is generally found at
the primary and high school level. The
thinker at this stage tends to think and
behave based on the want to please others.
There are two sub-stages in this.
a. Getting people to like them b.
Maintain functioning in society
3. Post-Conventional Level the third level of
Moral thinking, which is generally found
after the high school level. The thinker at
this stage tends to think and behave based
on a sense of justice. There are two sub-
stages in this
• Reject rigidity of laws • Sense of justice

4. Explain the term consensus and controversy in engineering ethics.

CONSENSUS
• This is that state where people come into agreement with the judgment given and will leave the people with
a feel that justice has been done
CONTROVERSY
• This is that state where the persons involved in an issue are not satisfied by the verdict and might feel that
it was decided on partial interests.
 • This will leave the people with a sense of dissatisfaction that justice was not done, which might lead to
another conflict.

5. Compare and contrast tradition and custom. Give an example.

 A tradition is a practice that has been passed down through generations and is observed by the
majority of people in a society or culture, Eg: Shaking hands, bowing
 Whereas a custom can be short-lived and observed only at the family or individual level.
Furthermore, while all traditions may qualify as customs, not all customs are traditions. Eg: Tradition
of Vedic Chanting, yoga, Kumbh Mela.

6. Explain Normative Senses.

 The normative sense include: (a) Knowing moral values, finding accurate solutions to moral
problems and justifying moral. Judgments in engineering practices, (b) Study of decisions, policies,
and values that is morally desirable in the engineering practice.
7. What is professionalism? Compare with Profession

Professionalism
• The art of Professionalism can be understood as the practice of doing the right thing, not because
how one feels but regardless of how one feels
• Professionalism covers comprehensively all areas of practice of a particular profession.
• It requires skills and responsibilities involved in engineering profession.
• Professionalism implies a certain set of attitudes

Profession
• Profession means a job or an occupation that helps a person earn his living.
The main criteria of a profession involve the following.
• Advanced expertise • Self-regulation • Public good
Professional
 A person who is paid for getting involved in a particular profession in order to earn a living as well
as to satisfy the laws of that profession

8. Discuss the motives of professionalism and the engineers.

o Professionalism covers comprehensively all areas of practice of a particular profession.
o It requires skills and responsibilities involved in engineering profession.
o Professionalism implies a certain set of attitudes

(PROFESSIONAL ROLES TO BE PLAYED BY AN ENGINEER)

1. Engineers as Saviors
2. Engineers as Guardians
3. Engineers as Bureaucratic Servants
4. Engineers as Social Servants
5. Engineers as Social Enablers and Catalysts
6. Engineers as Game Players

9. What are the situations when moral dilemmas arise?/ Explain steps
 Moral dilemmas are situations in which two or more moral obligations, duties, rights, goods, or
ideals come into conflict with each other
Causes of Moral Dilemmas
• Problem of vagueness; • Problem of conflicting reasons; and • Problem of disagreement.
Steps / Procedures in facing moral dilemma
• Identifying the relevant moral factors and reasons
• Collecting all the available facts which are relevant to the moral factors
• Ranking the moral considerations or principles on the basis of importance as applicable to the situation
• Considering alternative courses of action for resolving the problems
• Suggestions and alternative ideas on resolving that dilemma from colleagues, friend etc.,
• Arriving at solution by taking into consideration of all important moral factors

10. What are the types of ethics depending upon the morality of humanity?
 Ethics, Branch of philosophy that seeks to determine the correct application of moral notions such as
good and bad and right and wrong or a theory of the application or nature of such notions. Ethics is
traditionally subdivided into normative ethics, metaethics, and applied ethics
11. List and explain the varieties of moral issues
According to the Oxford dictionary, morality means principles concerning right and wrong or good and bad
behavior. The word morality is concerned with:
1.) What morally ought or ought not to be given in a situation
2.) What is morally right or wrong in handling a situation?
3.) What is morally good or bad about the people, policies, and ideals involved in it?
Variety of moral issues
 Organization oriented issues.
 Clients or customers oriented issues.
 Competitors oriented issues.
 Law, government and public agencies oriented issues.
 Social and environmental oriented issues.
 Family oriented issues.

1. Organization oriented issues

 Being an employee to firm, the engineer has to work towards the achievement of the objectives of his/her
organization.
 Engineers have to give higher priority to the benefits of the organization than one‘s own benefits.

2. Clients or customers oriented issues

 As we know, the purpose of any business is to reach and satisfy the end users. Therefore the
customers‘requirements should be met.
 In this regard, engineers have a major role to play in identifying the ‗customer voice‘, and incorporating
the voice of the customer into the product design and manufacture.

3. Competitors oriented issues

 In order to withstand in a market, engineers should produce things better than their competitors by all
means.
 But engineers should not practice cut-throat competition. They should follow certain professional
behavior while facing their competitors.

4. Law, government and public agencies oriented issues

The engineers should obey and voluntarily comply with all the governmental rules and regulations related
to them.

12. Differentiate consensus and controversy in engineering ethics.

Consensus means agreement and controversy means disagreement. Both plays the vital roles while
considering moral autonomy.
13. Explain the types of Ethical theories (Refer question 16)
14. Explain the use of Ethical theories
 Identifying the moral considerations or reasons that constitute a dilemma.
 Provides a precise sense of information
 Rank the relevant moral considerations
 Helps to reach balanced and insightful judgments
15. Compare custom and religion
 A custom is an action influenced by community tradition, which is usually repeated in the same form
on similar occasions. It is called religious custom when it has a religious content, and comprises the
communal expression of religious life outside the official liturgy of the Church.
 When we talk about customs and religion
1. They are related historically
2. Trust gives an inspiration to be moral.
3. Motivating right action based on ethical principles
4. Helps us to set higher moral standards
16. Explain self interest
Self-interest is nothing but one’s personal good.
• It refers to the goodness of oneself in the long run.
• Morality essentially needs a willingness on the part of both individuals and corporations to place some
restrictions on the pursuit of private self – interests.
16. Explain Theories about right action
Types of Ethical Theories: Depending upon the ethics a person is intended to follow, four theories were postulated
by four different philosophers 1. Golden Mean Ethics 2. Duty Based Ethics 3. Right Based Ethics 4. Utilitarian
Ethics
The Golden Mean ethical theory
• This theory was proposed by Aristotle
• According to this theory, the solution to a problem is found by analyzing the reason and the logic What is Golden
Mean?
• The Golden Mean virtue can be understood as the virtue of reaching a proper balance between extremes in
conduct, emotion, desire and attitude
• This theory phrased by Aristotle states that virtues are tendencies to find the golden mean between the extremes
of too much (excess) and too little (deficiency) with regard to particular aspects of our lives.

Rights-based Ethical Theory

✓ This theory was proposed by John Locke.
✓According to this theory, the solution to a problem is by realizing that every person has a right to live.
✓ Live and let live is the philosophy behind this theory. The rights of a person towards life, health, liberty,
possession, etc. are taken care of under this theory.
Duty-based Ethical Theory
• The duty-based ethical theory was proposed by Immanuel Kant.
• According to this theory, every person has a duty to follow which is accepted universally, with no exceptions.
• Kant observed that everyone is bound to follow some moral laws. There are four virtues that come under this law
• Prudence > Every individual has duties which should be done without any exception.
• Temperance > The temptations that might lead to the violation of duties and ethics have to be restrained
• Fortitude > Sense of having tolerance • Justice > Truth and fairness

Utilitarian Ethics
❑ The Utilitarian ethics was proposed by John Stuart.
❑ According to this theory, the happiness or pleasure of a greatest number of people in the society is considered as
the greatest good.
There are two main types of Utilitarianism.
They are − 1. Act U litarianism > “A par cular ac on is right if it is likely to produce the higher level of good for the
most people in a given situation, compared to alternative choices that might be made.”
2. Rule Utilitarianism > “Right actions are those required by rules that produce the higher level of good for the most
people.”
17. Explain Senses of Engineering Ethics
Engineering ethics has also various senses which are related to one another.
• 2 different senses (meanings) of engineering ethics
A.) Normative senses B.) Descriptive senses Normative sense includes:
B.) ✓ Knowing moral values, finding accurate solutions to moral problems and justifying moral judgments in
engineering practices,
C.) ✓ Study of decisions, policies, and values that are morally desirable in the engineering practice and research,
and
D.) ✓ Using codes of ethics and standards and applying them in their transactions by engineers.
E.) Descriptive senses includes: The descriptive sense refers to what specific individual or group of engineers believe
an act, without justifying their beliefs or actions