ENGINEERING ETHICS

ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES

2 Principles for decision making,

Utilitarian
Respect for Person

Utilitarian Thinking:-
To bring maximum amount of good/benefit to human
Utilitarian: Preference utility, not additional or lacking
Utility = welfare

At least 2 general conditions must be met,

Freedom not forced to choose
ENGINEERING
Well being ETHICS condition needed
Ir. Abdul Talibin
Dinorder to use freedom
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You must know and be sure of the consequences

of the action to be taken before you can judge on
the moral status. Therefore you must be able to
analyze the ethical problem.

Undecided consequences normally due to

limitation of human knowledge. This does not
mean utilitarian concept or perspective cannot
provide clean practical guidance.

ENGINEERING ETHICS Ir. Abdul Talib Din

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3 Utilitarian Approach:-

1. Cost / Benefit
Measured into monetary term by,

( i ) Assess the available options

( ii ) Assess the benefits to audience
( iii ) Select the option with highest amount
of benefit (less cost)
ENGINEERING ETHICS Ir. Abdul Talib Din
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2. The Act Utilitarian Approach

( i ) Enumerate available options

( ii ) Determine appropriate audience
( iii ) Universalizability
( iv ) Decide based on greatest amount of
good vs harm

If the cost/benefit options about equal, choose

based on minimum harm or casualty / fatality
ENGINEERING ETHICS Ir. Abdul Talib Din
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3. The Rule Utilitarian Approach:-

Rule Utilitarian emphasizes that more

good overall is served by providing people
with assurances that they will be treated in
accordance with rules and practices that treat
them justly and with respect for individual
rights.

The rules and practices are justified by their

utility when generally observed
ENGINEERING ETHICS Ir. Abdul Talib Din
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The Ethics of Respect for Person

The rules or rules that if followed would

accord equal respect each person as moral
agent

Moral agent capable of formulating or

pursuing goals and purposes of
their own.
- Mostly autonomous
ENGINEERING ETHICS Ir. Abdul Talib Din
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Three Respect for person Approaches

1. The Golden Rule

- Treats everyone equally as a moral agent
- Consistent with Universalizability and
Reversibility principles

Almost all religions consistent with The Golden

Rules
ENGINEERING ETHICS Ir. Abdul Talib Din
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2. Self-Defeating Criterion

Universalizing ones action would be self

defeating as it undermine ones ability to to
the same thing.

ENGINEERING ETHICS Ir. Abdul Talib Din

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A universalized action can be self defeating

by either 2 ways:-
1. Sometime the action cannot be performed
if it is universalized.
Example: If everyone borrow money on
the promise to return it and did not keep
the promise. Next time, promises would
not be taken seriously and no one would
loan money on the basis of promise

ENGINEERING ETHICS Ir. Abdul Talib Din

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2. Sometime the purpose of performing an

action is undermined if everyone else
does it universally:-

Example: If someone cheat in the exam

and if everyone else also cheat, then the
grading or passing marks will be as tough
as not cheating

ENGINEERING ETHICS Ir. Abdul Talib Din

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Rights

Entitlement to act or to have another individual act in a

certain way. Minimally, right serve as a protective barrier,
shielding individual from unjustified infringement of their
moral agency by others.

Penumbra Rights Protective barrier that give individual immunity from

interference from others

Right can be prioritized in 3 tier hierarchy as follow:-

1st Hierarchy Life, physical integrity, mental health etc
2nd Hierarchy Not to be deceived , cheated, stolen, defamed and taken
own free action
3rd Hierarchy Right to acquire higher living standard such as to acquire
properties etc

ENGINEERING ETHICS Ir. Abdul Talib Din