1) Define profession. Is engineering a profession? Justify your answer.

An early meaning of the term profession referred to a free act of commitment to a way
of life. A organized set of individuals who uphold ethical standards, present themselves
as, and are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely
acknowledged body of learning derived from research, education, and training at a high
level, and who are ready to apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest
of others is known as a profession. Engineering is regarded as a profession since it fits
within this group.

2) Explain the importance of professional ethics for engineering students.

Professional ethics are the rules governing the conduct, transactions and relationships
within a profession and among its public. Professional ethics provide rules on how a
person should act towards other people and institutions in such an environment. Like all
other professions, engineering demands honesty and integrity from its employees. They
can take responsibility for their acts thanks to codes of ethics. They serve as standards
for deciding what is good or incorrect. Engineers must adhere to a code of ethics to make
sure they are always truthful in their dealings.
There are several reasons why engineers follow a code of ethics

 Maintaining Safety

 Integrity and Honest

 Builds Public Trust and Confidence in the Profession

 Protects Clients and Employers

 Ensures Ethical Decision Making in Areas of Uncertainty

3) “All moral values are relative”-comment on it.

The idea that morality is based on cultural standards is known as ethical relativism. In
other words, the moral standards of the culture in which a behavior is engaged determine
whether it is proper or bad. The same behavior could be ethically acceptable in one
community but unethical in [Link] with rules of behaviour, moral values are
concerned with the goodness or badness of character or disposition, or with the
distinction between right and evil. standards of conduct or convictions on what is and is
not appropriate to do. According to the ethical relativist, there are no absolute moral laws.
The only moral benchmarks a community may use to evaluate its actions are its own.
However, this idea is challenged because while moral practices may vary among
countries, the underlying moral concepts do not. Even if some moral practices and beliefs
differ among cultures, there can still be universal moral norms. In other words, we can
recognize cultural variations in moral practices and beliefs while still maintaining that
some of these actions and beliefs are morally acceptable.
 4) Discuss relation between desire and will.

There is often a major difference between what we say we desire to see happen and
what is actually happening when it comes to moving forward in our mind renewal journey.
This difference is determined by our free will. While desire denotes what we want, will
denotes something we have, something resolved or chosen. Will power is the capacity to
carry out one's intentions, desires, or goals.
Practically speaking, will implies more resolve than want, and desire more wish than
resolve. Will might signify a long-term fancy while want could mean a fleeting whim.
While desire is more likely to signify a brief diversion, will may indicate a predetermined
course.

5) Explain “Ethics is the science of ultimate good”.

A normative science called ethics deals with the moral principles that should guide
human behavior. As a science of morality, it does not investigate the causes of human
behavior instead emphasizing its contents and numerous issues, such as motivations,
intents, voluntary acts, and so on. Ethics is based on well-founded standards of right and
wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations,
benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. These moral guidelines aid people in
choosing how to act in various circumstances. It outlines the minimal obligations that
each person has to others. It outlines the minimal norm of conduct. Ethics is therefore the
study of the highest good.
6) Discuss on the following virtues related to professional ethics a. Honesty b.
Courage c. Empathy d. Self-Confidence
The following virtues related to professional ethics are as follows:
Honesty:
Honesty is the basis for maintaining integrity. Being loyal to a company, producing the results
expected of you and being trustworthy and reliable are all qualities that characterize someone
who has professional integrity. Honest business practices lay the groundwork for trust with
coworkers, rivals, employees, customers, and every other person and organization. Employees
are motivated to advance the company when bosses treat them honestly.
Courage:
Moral courage is the ability to stand up for and practice that which one considers ethical, moral
behavior when faced with a dilemma, even if it means going against countervailing pressure to
do otherwise. Professional ethics is more interested in moral courage than physical courage.
Moral bravery is the ability to act morally despite pressure from both within and outside of the
organization to act differently. Courage is crucial for the moral leader to uphold their moral
duties in everyday dealings with their employees and other stakeholders.
Empathy:
Empathy is the ability to comprehend or experience what another person is going through from
that person's point of view. Additionally, it enhances relationships between people in general
and can result in more effective communication and fruitful outcomes at home and at work.
Leaders that are compassionate can inspire loyalty in their followers, subordinates, and clients.
Self-confidence:
Self-confidence is the belief a person has in their skills and judgment, which allows them to
openly communicate their knowledge and opinions with little to no difficulty. A very self-assured
engineer would be confident in their capacity to finish a task, or at the very least execute to the
best of their ability. An engineer with poor self-confidence might doubt their capacity for
success.

7) What is professional ethics? What are the roles of code of ethics?

Professional ethics are the rules governing the conduct, transactions and relationships
within a profession and among its public. Professional ethics provide rules on how a
person should act towards other people and institutions in such an environment.
A set of guiding principles known as a code of ethics in business is meant to guarantee
that a company and its personnel behave honestly and honorably in all areas of day-to-
day operations and to only take actions that benefit society. The roles of code of ethics
can be considered as follows:

 It provides a common set of rules or standards for all in the profession to adhere to
 It defines best practices for the profession
 It provides a basis to meet compliance requirements for the profession
 It provides a legal standard for the profession
 It provides a “seal of approval” that those outside the profession can look for when
using/selecting our services
 It helps as a watchdog for the profession.

8) Explain moral dilemma. Describe the process of solving moral dilemma.

A moral dilemma is a problem in the decision making process between two possible
options, neither of which is absolutely acceptable from ethical perspective.
Moral dilemmas can be solved as follows:

 Identify relevant facts

 Identify relevant issue(s)
 Identify primary stakeholders
 Identify possible solutions
 Evaluate each possible solution
 Compare and assess consequences
 Decide on solution
 Take action
 9) Explain in brief the right theories of engineers.

Engineering ethics is the study of ethically preferable choices, rules, and standards in
engineering practice and investigation. The purpose of engineering ethics is to identify
specific ethical issues that may arise in order to avoid a potential problem. Past ethical or
technical issues can help engineers to learn from both previous failures and successes.
The two concepts of duty ethics and rights theories are actually simply two sides of the
same thing. Engineers have the same fundamental rights as other workers, including the
freedom to pursue their legitimate interests and the right to live a life free from racial or
sexual discrimination. They also have the same rights to receive compensation
commensurate with their work and to participate in political activities. In addition to all of
these, engineers as professionals have some unique privileges. The right theory includes
safeguarding these rights.

10) Discuss the theory of duty ethics.

According to duty ethics, persons have a responsibility to act in accordance with what is
right or wrong given the circumstances, regardless of whether doing so would result in
positive or negative outcomes. Regardless of the outcomes, certain actions have inherent
moral rightness or wrongness. Duty ethics is sometimes viewed as a set of laws that we
have a responsibility to abide by. These frequently take the shape of obligations or
professional standards in the healthcare industry. These guidelines, or duties, set forth our
responsibilities to our patients, our colleagues, and ourselves. They can be viewed as the
tenets of our professionalism and behavior. The professional obligation to "first, do no
harm" is a straightforward and universal illustration of principle in action..

11) Is ethics dependent on religion? Explain the relationship.

Ethics, which is a major branch of philosophy, encompasses right conduct and good life. It is
significantly broader than the common conception of analyzing right and wrong. The interaction
between revelation and reason lies at the heart of the link between religion and ethics. Religion
is largely predicated on the notion that God (or some other god) provides revelations on life's
deeper meanings. The Bible, the Torah, the Koran, and other scriptures compile these
revelations and portray them as such. From a purely humanistic standpoint, ethics is founded on
the principles of reason: Anything that cannot be logically verified cannot be justified. This
viewpoint contends that religious dogma is not necessary for the legitimacy of ethical standards.
Instead, these values are supported because they help to foster self-reliant, accountable
individuals who can make choices that optimize their own well-being while also respecting the
well-being of others.

12) What do you mean by utilitarianism? Explain the nature of utilitarianism with
example.
Ans: A utilitarian philosophy would argue for the good of society as a whole when it comes to
making social, economic, or political decisions. Utilitarianism is a theory of morality that opposes
activities that bring about misery or injury Two types of utilitarianism are there:
a. Act utilitarianism: Looks at the consequences of each individual act and calculate utility
each time the act is performed.
b. Rule utilitarianism: Looks at the consequences of having everyone follow a particular rule
and calculate the overall utility of accepting or rejecting the rule.
A pharmaceutical firm releasing a medicine with known side effects because it can assist more
people than are worried by the minor side effects is an example of utilitarianism in action. Act
utilitarianism frequently displays an attitude of "the purpose justifies the means." Road
regulations are an example of rule utilitarianism in a less serious sense. Although it is
occasionally possible to drive safely even when ignoring a speed limit sign, it is ideal for
everyone to abide by a uniform set of traffic laws regardless of specific circumstances.
13) Distinguish between psychological egoism & ethical egoism.
The main difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism is that psychological
egoism emphasizes the fact that people act primarily out of self-interest while ethical egoism
emphasizes the fact that people should act for their self-interest.
Psychological egoism refers to the concept that self-interest motivates all human actions while
ethical egoism refers to the concept that all people should/ought to be motivated by self-interest
for their actions. Thus, this is the main difference between psychological egoism and ethical
egoism.
In psychological egoism, everybody is ultimately motivated solely by his/her self-interest. On the
other hand, ethical egoism prescribes selfishness or self-interest to be the ultimate motivation
for individual actions. Hence, this is another difference between psychological egoism and
ethical egoism.
One other difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism is that the psychological
egoism describes the reason for human behaviour and actions while ethical egoism
recommends how human behaviour or actions should be.
Moreover, psychological egoism is a descriptive theory whereas ethical egoism is a normative
or prescriptive theory.

Both psychological and ethical egoism describes how self-interest influences human actions.
The main difference between psychological egoism and ethical egoism is that the psychological
egoism emphasizes the fact that people act primarily out of self-interest while ethical egoism
emphasizes the fact that people should act for their self-interest. Thus, psychological egoism is
a descriptive theory whereas ethical egoism is a prescriptive theory.

14) Mention the typical ethical issues that engineers encounter. Discuss the social
responsibilities of engineers.
Typical ethical issues encountered by engineers include

 Safety

• Acceptable risk

• Compliance

• Confidentiality

• Environmental health

• Data integrity

• Conflict of interest

• Honesty/Dishonesty

• Societal impact

• Fairness

• Accounting for uncertainty

According to NATIONAL SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS (NSPE) the social or

professional responsibilities of engineers include:
1. Human Safety
Public trust in engineering requires that the profession considers its impacts on human safety.
There is widespread consensus in the codes of ethics of engineering professional societies
worldwide that engineering has a primary duty to protect public safety, health, and welfare

2. Environment and sustainability

Engineering codes of ethics include environmental protection among professional social

responsibilities (Table 1), with the exception of some specialized sub-disciplines (biomedical
and aerospace engineering)

3. Pro bono

The idea of pro bono work is that professions should donate some of their technical expertise to
individuals or organizations unable to pay for those services. This can be providing services for
free or at a reduced rate.

4. Social justice
Social justice relates to the distribution of wealth and privileges in society, as well as issues
related to poverty and development.

5. Diversity

There are a number of diversity-related issues in engineering. A primary issue is the persistent
lack of diversity within the engineering workforce in the United States and many other parts of
the world, which is predominated by men and generally lacks racial/ethnic diversity.