Engineering ethics
- Objective: Identifying the ethical challenges of engineering education and proposing solutions to overcome them
- Outline: Professional ethics, ethical guidelines, ethical schools, how to develop ethical behaviour
- Presented by: Prof. Hossein Memarian
Abstract: Ethics is the distinction between good and bad, right and wrong, and following the rules; or instructions or guidelines that are determined by a value system, such as reason, law, custom, or religion. Engineering ethics can also be considered as guiding and supporting principles of a professional engineer, the use of which leads to the advancement of society. We acknowledge that the ethical principles cover the engineering profession. At every stage of the project, whether it is design or implementation, engineers may face issues that have both technical and ethical aspects. Until the end of the 20th century, engineers were mostly involved in what today we call moral issues. The micro affairs of engineering ethics include issues related to personal behavior and internal issues of the engineering profession. According to the numerous laws of professional ethics, the ethical responsibility of engineers is more focused on their relationships with clients, employers, and colleagues. At the end of the last century, the shortcomings of the professional view on ethical issues were gradually revealed. For example, ignoring the social aspects of technology, its development and expansion, and the role of its positive and negative consequences were criticized. In this way, the scope of engineering ethics gradually expanded to macro-ethical issues. Big issues include big questions about technology and society. These issues are generally related to the major responsibilities of the engineering profession and the social and environmental effects of technology and its future path. Ethical principles govern all fields of engineering education. Engineering education in our country is facing many ethical challenges due to various reasons, including the excessive expansion of recent years. Dealing with these challenges requires choosing appropriate solutions, backed up by national determination.
