Introduction to Engineering Ethics Lecture 2

Lecture 2: Moral Reasoning & Codes of Ethics

• Course: Introduction to Engineering and Ethics, 1400111011
• Instructor: Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç

Importance of Moral Reasoning in Engineering

• Right: A justified claim or assertion of what a rights-holder is due.

• Moral rights: Justifications based on ethical principles.

• Legal rights: Justifications based on legal principles.

• Institutional rights: Justifications based on the definitions of the offices or institutions.

• A right can be moral, legal, and institutional at the same time, but one type of justification doesn't necessarily imply another.

• Rights and obligations/rules: Rights share similarities with obligations and rules, but an obligation or rule may not have a corresponding right.

• Exercising or waiving rights: A right can be exercised or waived (intentionally not exercised). If a right is required to be exercised, it becomes an obligation rather than a right.

• Moral Right vs Moral Rule/Obligation: A has a right to do X. This implies a corresponding moral rule or obligation (on others), like "Do not interfere with A doing X."

• Connections exist between moral rights and moral/legal/institutional rules and obligations, but not every rule requires a corresponding right.

• Informed consent: When competent human beings are recruited for an experiment, seeking their informed consent is an ethical standard, even if risks are minimal. This includes providing full information about the study and the participant's ability to withdraw at any time , giving them freely consent to participate. Respecting the right to refuse is important and a fundamental human right.

Human, Special, Civil, and Alienable Rights

• Human right: A right that all people have simply by virtue of being people.
• Special right: A right that is possessed only by some people (due to special characteristics, agreements, relationships, work/knowledge, actions of others, privileges).
• Civil rights: Legal rights of citizens (or members of a civil society). Not all civil rights are human rights.
• Alienable right: A right that can be traded or given away.
• Inalienable right: A right that cannot be traded or given away. The U.S. Declaration of Independence asserts some rights (like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) as inalienable.
• Absolute right: A right that cannot be morally outweighed by other factors.
• Prima facie right: A right that may be morally outweighed by other important factors.

Steps in Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

• Bases for moral values: Human safety, environmental protection, product usefulness/convenience, meeting financial needs.
• Steps in resolving ethical dilemmas: Moral clarity (identifying relevant moral values), conceptual clarity (understanding key concepts), informed about the facts, informed about options (considering realistic options), well-reasoned (making a reasonable decision).
• Utilitarian approach: Choose the action that maximizes overall well-being for the majority.
• Respect for persons approach: Treat individuals as free and equal moral agents, respecting their dignity and rights.
• Virtue ethics approach: Focus on cultivating moral character (honesty, courage, compassion) in decision-making.
• Clarifying concepts (Conceptual issues): Fact Issues, Conceptual Issues, Application Issues, Moral Issues.