Ethics and Engineering Education
Name
ethics_20_talk.pdf
Size
96.36 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
adbe0189083e94614c9567260c3d2053
Author(s)
Bucciarelli, Louis
Date Issued
February 16, 2008
Abstract
ABET recommends the study of ethics so that students acquire “an understanding of professional and ethical
responsibility”. For the most part, teaching of the subject relies upon the use of scenarios - both hypothetical
and “real”- and open discussion framed by the codes. These scenarios and this framing strike me as seriously
deficient - lacking in their attention to the complexities of context, almost solely focused on individual
agency, while reflecting too narrow and simplistic a view of the responsibilities of the practicing engineer. A
critique of several exemplary scenarios, and consideration of the demands placed upon today’s professional,
prompt reflection on the need for, not just a more expansive reading of the codes of ethics re what it might
mean to be “responsible”, but a substantial reform of undergraduate engineering education across the board.
Description
A presentation made at a Workshop on Philosophy and Engineering, Technical University of Delft, October 2007.
A much shorter version of this paper has been submitted for consideration
in the EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION 2008 Société Européenne pour la Formation des
Ingénieurs (SEFI); EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Subjects
ethics
engineering education
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