08/10/04

A site that maintains links to much of the information about engineering ethics available on the WWW is http://www4.ncsu.edu/~jherkert/ethicind.html, a site maintained by IEEE Member Prof. Joseph Herkert.

The IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee maintains a Web page at http://www.ieee.org/organizations/committee/emcc/index.html. In addition to the IEEE Code of Ethics, it includes a link to Ethics Resources and Organizations. On that page, note particularly a link to The Government Accountability Project (GAP) on Supporting Whistleblowing. This site provides guidance to anyone who finds it necessary to "blow the whistle."

1. Engineering ethics once consisted of fairly specific directives about how to deal with other engineers and very vague pledges to work for the public interest.
2. This approach proved unsatisfactory because it rewarded the renegades and the rascals. (Example: safety vs. economics)
3. Many of the decisions that once lay in the domain of engineering ethics are more properly made by society as a whole through legislation and regulation.
4. After legislation in the 1970s, most of the decisions that once had to be based on engineering ethics are now made on the basis of laws and regulations that are supposed to reflect the views of society as a whole.
5. Thus much of traditional engineering ethics is succinctly summarized nowadays by saying "Obey the law."
6. Modern engineering ethics is mainly "conscientiousness" (reliability, competence, dedication, energy, self-discipline, caution, alertness, awareness, diligence, inventiveness, ...).
7. An engineer who works conscientiously within the law is conforming to the modern concept of engineering ethics.
8. An individual engineer has the right to restrict personal practice according to a personal code of ethics or personal conscience.