ENSC 406 Tutorial: Week 5
 

Ethical problem-solving techniques: Adding to the framework for analyzing ethical dilemmas

 

As Fleddermann says on page 46 of the first edition of Engineering Ethics, “there are no formulas and no easy ‘plug and chug’ methods of reaching a solution” to an ethical dilemma. “[M]any of the situations encountered by practicing engineers are ambiguous or unclear, involving conflicting moral principles. This is the type of problem for which we will most need analysis and problem-solving methods.”

 

This week, with the introduction of problem-solving techniques in chapter four, we add a number of features to the framework for analyzing ethical dilemmas. First, we expand on the first step:

Step 1: ensure you completely understand all the issues involved in a case by determining not just the factual issues, but also the conceptual and ethical issues.

Factual issues: What facts are known about a case? Are any aspects of the case are controversial? What relevant information is missing or unknown?

Conceptual issues: What is the meaning or applicability of an idea? For example, should something be considered a gift or a bribe?

Ethical issues: What ethical principles should be applied to this particular case? For example, is it ethical to accept a bribe?

 

When dealing with answers to ethical questions, keep in mind that decisions will be determined within the context of a particular case. Conceivably, someone might consider a bribe to be generally unethical but argue that it is necessary in a particular context. The contextual nature of ethical problem solving is what makes it so challenging. You may find it useful to think of ethical problem solving not as subjective but as contextual: decisions must be made case-by-case and will depend on a particular set of circumstances.

 

The next two steps remain the same:

Step 2: determine which items of the APEG-BC code of ethics are relevant to the case and which one(s) take precedence

 

Step 3: consider the case from the various perspectives offered by ethical theories:

  • Utilitarianism
  • Duty ethics
  • Rights ethics
  • Virtue ethics

Use these theories to gain as much appreciation as possible for the complexities of the case and to help you organize your thoughts.

 

The final step is the main focus of chapter four:

Step 4: if what you should do isn’t already obvious, then use one of the following problem-solving techniques to help you reach a conclusion:

  • Use line drawing to establish negative and positive paradigm cases and then place a number of other possible examples in between, including the case in question. Is an action ethical? Is it closer to the positive or negative pole? 
  • Use flow charting to determine the sequence of events and the consequences that flow from decisions made along the way.
  • Choose a resolution for a conflict problemby deciding which of the following is appropriate:

o       Make an easy choice by choosing the obviously more significant ethical choice

o       Choose the creative middle way by finding a compromise that will work for everyone

o       Make a hard choice, which Fleddermann describes as requiring you to “bite the bullet and make the best choice possible with the information available at the time.”

 

Homework to complete before Week 5 tutorial

 

Read Chapter 4 of Engineering Ethics and complete the following:

Required:

  1. On page 45 of the first edition, Fledderman states that “Nearly everything an engineer designs has some health or safety risk associated with it. Often . . . the exact nature of the hazard is only poorly understood. How then does an engineer decide whether it is ethical to work on a particular product or process? What tools are there for an engineer who needs to decide which is the ethically correct path to take?”

What is Fleddermann’s answer? What is yours?

  1. How do you determine which of the three problem-solving techniques to apply to a particular case?
  2. For the Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields case, determine the factual, conceptual, and ethical issues, apply the code of ethics, analyze the case using different ethical theories, and then choose an appropriate ethical problem solving technique and explain why you think it is most appropriate.

Recommended:

  1. Fleddermann raises the issue of cheating on exams. A number of recent surveys indicate that cheating is most prevalent in schools of engineering and business. Why do you think this may be the case? What could be done to change the situation?