1400111011 Introduction to Engineering & Ethics Lecture 2 PDF

Lecture2 Moral Reasoning&Codesof Ethics 1400111011 Introduction to Engineering and Ethics Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç Importance of Moral Reasoning in Engineering A right is a justified claim or assertion of what a rights-holder is due....

Lecture2 Moral Reasoning&Codesof Ethics 1400111011 Introduction to Engineering and Ethics Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç Importance of Moral Reasoning in Engineering A right is a justified claim or assertion of what a rights-holder is due. The bases or justifications for moral rights are ethical, the bases or justifications for legal rights are legal, and those for official or institutional rights derive from the definitions of the offices or institutions in question. The same right might be simultaneously a moral right, a legal right, and an institutional right, but one sort of right need not be another sort, because only one sort of justification might exist for it. 1400111011 | Introduction to Engineering and Ethics | 2024-2025 Fall | Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç  Importance of Moral Reasoning in Engineering Rights share some of the same logic that applies to obligations and rules. However, an obligation or rule may not have a corresponding right. Part of the special characteristic of a right is that it can be either exercised or waived (i.e., intentionally not exercised). If one were required to exercise the right to do something, by definition it would be an obligation and not simply a right. 1400111011 | Introduction to Engineering and Ethics | 2024-2025 Fall | Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç Importance of Moral Reasoning in Engineering For every moral/ethical, legal, or institutional right, there is a corresponding moral, legal, or institutional rule, but an obligation or rule may not have a corresponding right. 1400111011 | Introduction to Engineering and Ethics | 2024-2025 Fall | Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç  Importance of Moral Reasoning in Engineering When competent human beings are recruited for an experiment, such as the testing of a new biomedical device, the accepted ethical standard is to seek their informed consent, even if the risks to the research “subjects” or “participants” are minimal. This means that to enlist subjects/participants in one’s research study, one must first give them full information about the study and their own ability to drop out of the study at any time; the subjects must freely consent to participate. Respecting the ability of people to refuse to participate in an experiment is understood as necessary to respecting their human rights. Do you agree that the right to refuse to participate in an experiment is a human right? Why or why not? 1400111011 | Introduction to Engineering and Ethics | 2024-2025 Fall | Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç  Importance of Moral Reasoning in Engineering Human right: a right that all people have simply by virtue of being people. Engineers and scientists encounter issues of human rights explicitly in the requirement to obtain the informed consent of any person who is to be an experimental subject in their research. Special right: a right that is possessed only by some people. The agreements or the so-called contracts that a person makes are one basis that some philosophers especially emphasize. Civil rights: legal rights of citizens or more generally the members of some civil society. Many societies give legal recognition to human rights by making them civil rights. Not all civil rights are human rights, however, and the content of civil rights that are not human rights, such as the right to vote, varies widely with the enacting government. Alienable right: a right that a person can trade away. Similarly, if a right is inalienable, the possessor of the right cannot divest themselves of the right or trade it away. The U.S. Declaration of Independence assumes the existence of human rights and sees at least some of them as inalienable. It asserts that all persons are created equal, for all are endowed with certain inalienable (or “unalienable”) rights, which include life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Absolute right: is one the claims of which can never be morally outweighed by other factors, whereas a prima facie right is a right the claims which are prima facie, that is, it is possible that they may be morally outweighed by other sufficiently important moral considerations. Consider the right to travel freely; we regard this as a basic liberty and an inalienable right, but it is only a prima facie right. If there is reason to believe that people are carrying a dangerous and highly contagious disease, our society accepts that temporarily overriding the right of the disease-carrier to travel freely by putting them under quarantine is justified. 1400111011 | Introduction to Engineering and Ethics | 2024-2025 Fall | Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç Importance of Moral Reasoning in Engineering 1400111011 | Introduction to Engineering and Ethics | 2024-2025 Fall | Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç  Steps in Resolving Ethical Dilemmas Bases for moral values: Human safety Conserving and protecting the environment Usefulness and convenience of products Meeting financial needs Steps in resolving ethical dilemmas: Moral clarity: Identify the relevant moral values. Conceptual clarity: Be clear about key concepts. Informed about the facts: Obtain relevant information. Informed about the options: Consider all (realistic) options. Well-reasoned: Make a reasonable decision. 1400111011 | Introduction to Engineering and Ethics | 2024-2025 Fall | Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç  Clarifying Concepts: Conceptual Issues Responsible moral thinking requires not only attending carefully to facts but also having a good grasp of the key concepts we are using. That is, we need to get as clear as we can about the meanings of key terms. For example, public health, safety, and welfare, conflict of interest, bribery, extortion, confidentiality, trade secret, and loyalty are key terms for ethics in engineering, but their meanings are not always obvious. We call questions about the meanings of terms conceptual issues. If people disagree about the meanings of such terms, they may be unable to resolve arguments which make reference to them, even if they agree about all of the facts and moral assumptions. 1400111011 | Introduction to Engineering and Ethics | 2024-2025 Fall | Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç Common Morality 1400111011 | Introduction to Engineering and Ethics | 2024-2025 Fall | Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç  Steps in Resolving Ethical Dilemmas The Utilitarian Approach The utilitarian approach is based on the principle that actions are right if they promote the greatest overall well-being or happiness for the majority. It focuses on the outcomes, emphasizing that the ethical choice is the one that maximizes benefits while minimizing harm, often through a cost-benefit analysis. The Respect for Persons Approach The respect for persons (RP) approach centers on the inherent dignity and autonomy of individuals. It holds that people should be treated as free and equal moral agents, and that their rights and freedoms should not be violated, even for the sake of a greater good. The Virtue Ethics Approach Virtue ethics emphasizes moral character over rules or consequences. It encourages individuals to cultivate virtues like honesty, courage, and compassion, focusing on becoming a morally good person who acts virtuously in various situations rather than strictly following ethical rules. 1400111011 | Introduction to Engineering and Ethics | 2024-2025 Fall | Asst. Prof. Mete Öğüç