EE Mid 2

ENGINEERING ETHICS
RESOLVING
MORAL DILEMMAS
LECTURE 2
Moral Reasoning:
Moral Choices and Ethical Dilemmas;
OBJECTIVES Steps in Resolving Ethical Dilemmas;
Right-Wrong or Better-Worse?
Moral Decision Making as Design;

Ethical (or moral) dilemmas are situations in which moral
reasons come into conflict, or in which the applications
of moral values are unclear, and it is not immediately
obvious what should be done.
MORAL
Ethical dilemmas arise in engineering, as elsewhere,
because moral values are many and varied and can make
competing claims.Yet, although moral dilemmas comprise
CHOICES
AND ETHICAL
the most difficult occasions for moral reasoning, they
constitute a relatively small percentage of moral choices,
that is, decisions involving moral values.
DILEMMAS
The vast majority of moral choices are clear-cut,
although we sometimes fail to act responsibly because of
negligence and weakness of will.
❑ The first aluminium can was designed in 1958 by Kaiser Aluminium, in the attempt to
improve on heavier and more expensive tin cans.
❑ Aluminium proved ideal as a lightweight, flexible material that allowed manufacturing of the
bottom and sides of the can from a single sheet, leaving the top to be added after the can was
filled.
❑ The first aluminium cans, like the tin cans before them, were opened with a separate opener,
which required additional manufacturing costs to make them readily available to consumers.
❑ In 1959, Ermal Fraze, in 1959, who owned Dayton Reliable Tool and Manufacturing Company
and was hence familiar with metal, envisioned a design for a small lever that was attached to the
DESIGNING can but which was removed as the can opened.

❑ The idea proved workable and was quickly embraced by manufacturers. Gradual
ALUMINIUM CANS improvements were made over subsequent years to ensure easy opening and prevention of lip
and nose injuries from the jagged edges of the opening.
❑ Within a decade an unanticipated crisis arose, however, creating an ethical dilemma. Fraze had
not thought through the implications of billions of discarded pull tabs causing pollution, foot
injuries, and harm to fish and infants who ingested them.
❑ The dilemma was what to do to balance usefulness to consumers with protection of
the environment.
❑ In 1976 Daniel F. Cudzik invented a simple, stay-attached opener of the sort familiar today.
Step 1 Moral clarity: Identify the relevant moral values.
Step 2 Conceptual clarity: Be clear about key concepts.
STEPS IN
RESOLVING Step 3 Informed about the facts: Obtain relevant information.
ETHICAL
DILEMMAS
Step 4 Informed about the options: Consider all (realistic) options.
Step 5 Well-reasoned: Make a reasonable decision. Arrive at a carefully reasoned

judgment by weighing all the relevant moral reasons and facts.
MORAL CHOICE MAKING STEPS
Second, multiple moral factors

are involved, and among the
Third, some design solutions are
satisfactory solutions for design
First, usually there are clearly unacceptable. In general,
problems, one solution is
alternative solutions to design there are many “background
typically better in some respects
problems, more than one of constraints,” for example justice
and less satisfactory in other
which is satisfactory or and decency, which limit the
respects when compared with
“satisfices.” range of reasonable moral
alternative solutions. No design is
options.
ideal in every regard, and each
had strengths and weaknesses.
Fourth, engineering design often Finally, design problems are

involves uncertainties and dynamic. In the real world the
ambiguities, not only about what design of any engineering
is possible and how to achieve it, problem would go through much
but also about the specific iteration, as feedback was
problems that will arise as received from testing and
solutions are developed. application.
ETHICAL CYCLE
Case
Phase 1: Moral Problem

Statement
Moral Acceptable •It must clearly state:
Choice •What the problem is
•Who must act
•The clear concept of morality
Phase 5: Reflection Phase 2: Problem Analysis

•Analyze the best choice •Identify the stakeholders
•Give opinion and defend •Relevant moral values
the choice •Cause and Effect
•Risk Benefit Analysis
Phase 4: Ethical Evaluation

Phase 3: Options
• Evaluate the options
• Weigh their strength and •The two extreme options
weaknesses •Middle of the road option
•Flexible and smart option
Engineer A is employed by a software company and is involved in the design of
specialized software in connection with the operations of facilities affecting the
public health and safety (i.e., nuclear, air quality control, water quality control).
As part of the design of a particular software system, Engineer A conducts
extensive testing, and although the tests demonstrate that the software is safe
to use under existing standards, Engineer A is aware of new draft standards
RESOLVING that are about to be released by a standard setting organization—standards
which the newly designed software may not meet. Testing is extremely costly
MORAL and the company’s clients are eager to begin to move forward. The software
company is eager to satisfy its clients, protect the software company’s finances,
DILEMMAS: and protect existing jobs; but at the same time, the management of the
software company wants to be sure that the software is safe to use. A series of
CASE STUDY
tests proposed by Engineer A will likely result in a decision whether to move
forward with the use of the software. The tests are costly and will delay the
use of the software at least six months, which will put the company at a
competitive disadvantage and cost the company a significant amount of money.
Also, delaying implementation will mean the state public service commission
utility rates will rise significantly during this time. The company requests
Engineer A’s recommendation concerning the need for additional software
testing.
What is wrong?
What is the core issue?
The Problem Statement:
PHASE 1: “The Software is Safe to release or Run more tests?”
MORAL Engineering Code of Ethics.
PROBLEM Public safety
STATEMENT Professional Responsibility
Professional Loyalty
Need Engineer A’s Expert Opinion
Prepared By: Dr M Tanseer Ali 9

Key Facts:
It is Critical Software (impacts Public Health and Safety)
New Standard (New criteria and failsafe?)
PHASE 2: Need more tests to meet new standard
PROBLEM More test results more time and money
ANALYSIS Company and customer eager to start
Competitive Advantage
Job Risk
Utility Cost

List down the options
Option 1: Ideal Choice

• Complete the Tests to meet the new standard
Option 2:Non-ideal Choice

PHASE 3: • Release the Software under old standard
OPTIONS Option 3: Middle The Road

• Prepare short tests to save partial money and time
Option 4: Smart Option

• Release the Software under old standard as beta
version and run the test parallelly and include the
updated in full release to meet the new standard

Evaluate the Options
Option 1: Ideal Choice

• More Time & Money
• Job Risk
• Competitive disadvantage and Rise of utility cost
• Confident for Public safety
PHASE 4: Option 2:Non-ideal Choice

• Less Time & Money
ETHICAL • No Job Risk

• Competitive advantage and save utility cost
EVALUATION
• Risk for Public safety
Option 3: Middle The Road
• Save partial money and time
• Partially meet the standard
• Less Time & Money
• No Job Risk

Best Option in my opinion

PHASE 5:
REFLECTION • Less Time & Money
• No Job Risk
Usually software release and testing runs

continuous process for bug fixing and updates
to meet the new requirements and standards

QUESTIONS??
• Thanks

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ENGINEERING ETHICS

Moral Choices and Ethical Dilemmas;

OBJECTIVES Steps in Resolving Ethical Dilemmas;

Moral Decision Making as Design;

DESIGNING can but which was removed as the can opened.

Step 2 Conceptual clarity: Be clear about key concepts.

Step 5 Well-reasoned: Make a reasonable decision. Arrive at a carefully reasoned

Second, multiple moral factors

Fourth, engineering design often Finally, design problems are

Phase 1: Moral Problem

Phase 5: Reflection Phase 2: Problem Analysis

Phase 4: Ethical Evaluation

What is the core issue?

The Problem Statement:

PHASE 1: “The Software is Safe to release or Run more tests?”

MORAL Engineering Code of Ethics.

PROBLEM Public safety

STATEMENT Professional Responsibility

Need Engineer A’s Expert Opinion

Prepared By: Dr M Tanseer Ali 9

It is Critical Software (impacts Public Health and Safety)

New Standard (New criteria and failsafe?)

PHASE 2: Need more tests to meet new standard

PROBLEM More test results more time and money

ANALYSIS Company and customer eager to start

Prepared By: Dr M Tanseer Ali 10

Option 1: Ideal Choice

Option 2:Non-ideal Choice

OPTIONS Option 3: Middle The Road

Option 4: Smart Option

Prepared By: Dr M Tanseer Ali 11

Option 1: Ideal Choice

PHASE 4: Option 2:Non-ideal Choice

ETHICAL • No Job Risk

Prepared By: Dr M Tanseer Ali 12

Option 4: Smart Option

Usually software release and testing runs

Prepared By: Dr M Tanseer Ali 13

Prepared By: Dr M Tanseer Ali 14

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