Fundamentals of Engineering Ethics

Transcription

1 Fundamentals f Engineering Ethics

2 Preface Natural sciences and engineering are imprtant frces shaping ur future. They exert bth psitive and negative influences upn ur wrld. We all cntribute t these changes. The engineering prfessins, hwever, have a particular respnsibility in structuring these prcesses. Hence in 1950, the Assciatin f Engineers VDI in Germany presented a dcument n the specific prfessinal respnsibilities f engineers. Recently the VDI Executive Bard passed the new dcument Fundamentals f Engineering Ethics. They are intended t ffer t all engineers, as creatrs f technlgy, rientatin and supprt as they face cnflicting prfessinal respnsibilities. These fundamentals have been prpsed by the "VDI philsphers" tgether with representatives f ther disciplines within the VDI Cmmittee n Peple and Technlgy. I hpe that this dcument may strengthen awareness and cmmitment in dealing with ethical issues f the engineering prfessins. Dusseldrf, March 2002 Prf. Dr.-Ing. Hubertus Christ, President f the VDI

3 0. Preamble Engineers recgnise natural sciences and engineering as imprtant pwers shaping sciety and human life tday and tmrrw. Therefre engineers are aware f their specific respnsibility. They rient their prfessinal actins twards fundamentals and criteria f ethics and implement them int practice. The fundamentals suggested here ffer such rientatin and supprt fr engineers as they are cnfrnted with cnflicting prfessinal respnsibilities. The Assciatin f Engineers in Germany (VDI) cntributes t raising awareness abut engineering ethics, ffers cnsultancy and cnflict reslutin, and assists in all cntrversies related t issues f respnsibility in engineering.

4 1. Respnsibilities 1.1 Engineers are respnsible fr their prfessinal actins and the resulting utcmes. Accrding t prfessinal standards, they fulfil their tasks as they crrespnd t their cmpetencies and qualificatins. Engineers perfrm these tasks and actins carrying bth individual and shared respnsibilities. 1.2 Engineers are respnsible fr their actins t the engineering cmmunity, t plitical and scietal institutins as well as t their emplyers, custmers, and technlgy users. 1.3 Engineers knw the relevant laws and regulatins f their cuntries. They hnur them insfar as they d nt cntradict universal ethical principles. They are cmmitted t applying them in their prfessinal envirnment. Beynd such applicatin they invest their prfessinal and critical cmpetencies int imprving and develping further these laws and regulatins. 1.4 Engineers are cmmitted t develping sensible technlgy and technical slutins. They accept respnsibility fr quality, reliability, and safety f new technical prducts and prcesses. Their respnsibilities include technical dcumentatin as well as infrming custmers abut bth apprpriate use and pssible dangers f misuse f new technical slutins. They furthermre include: defining the technical characteristics f such prducts and prcesses, suggesting alternative technical slutins and appraches, and taking int cnsideratin the pssibilities f unwanted technlgical develpments and deliberate misuse f prducts and prcesses.

5 2. Orientatin 2.1 Engineers are aware f the embeddedness f technical systems int their scietal, ecnmic and eclgical cntext. Therefre they design technlgy crrespnding t the criteria and values implied: the scietal, ecnmic and eclgical feasibility f technical systems; their usability and safety; their cntributin t health, persnal develpment and welfare f the citizens; their impact n the lives f future generatins (as previusly utlined in the VDI Dcument 3780). 2.2 The fundamental rientatin in designing new technlgical slutins is t maintain tday and fr future generatins, the ptins f acting in freedm and respnsibility. Engineers thus avid actins which may cmpel them t accept given cnstraints (e.g. the arbitrary pressures f crises r the frces f shrt-term prfitability). On the cntrary, engineers cnsider the values f individual freedm and their crrespnding scietal, ecnmic, and eclgical cnditins the main prerequisites t the welfare f all citizens within mdern sciety excluding extrinsic r dgmatic cntrl. 2.3 Engineers rient their prfessinal respnsibility n the same fundamentals f ethics as everybdy else within sciety. Therefre engineers shuld nt create prducts which are bviusly t be used in unethical ways (e.g. prducts banned by internatinal agreement). Furthermre they may nt accept far-reaching dangers r uncntrllable risks caused by their technical slutins. 2.4 In cases f cnflicting values, engineers give pririty: t the values f humanity ver the dynamics f nature, t issues f human rights ver technlgy implementatin and explitatin, t public welfare ver private interests, and t safety and security ver functinality and prfitability f their technical slutins. Engineers, hwever, are careful nt t adpt such criteria r indicatrs in any dgmatic manner. They seek public dialgue in rder t find acceptable balance and cnsensus cncerning these cnflicting values.

6 3. Implementatin 3.1 Engineers are cmmitted t keeping up and cntinually develping further their prfessinal skills and cmpetencies. 3.2 In cases f cnflicting values, they are expected t analyse and weigh cntrversial views thrugh discussins that crss brders f disciplines and cultures. In this way they acquire and strengthen their ability t play an active part in such technlgy assessment. 3.3 In all cuntries, natinal laws and regulatins exist which cncern technlgy use, wrking cnditins, and the natural envirnment. Engineers are aware f the relevance f engineering ethics fr these laws and regulatins. Many f these laws tday take up cntrversial issues related t pen questins in engineering sciences and ethics. Engineers are challenged t invest their prfessinal judgement int substantiating such questins. Cncerning natinal laws, the sequence f pririties is as fllws: natinal laws have pririty ver prfessinal regulatins, such prfessinal regulatins have pririty ver individual cntracts. 3.4 There may be cases when engineers are invlved int prfessinal cnflicts which they cannt reslve c-peratively with their emplyers r custmers. These engineers may apply t the apprpriate prfessinal institutins which are prepared t fllw up such ethical cnflicts. As a last resrt, engineers may cnsider t directly infrm the public abut such cnflicts r t refuse c-peratin altgether. T prevent such escalating develpments frm taking place, engineers supprt the funding f these supprting prfessinal institutins, in particular within the VDI. 3.5 Engineers are cmmitted t educatinal activities in schls, universities, enterprises and prfessinal institutins with the aims f prmting and structuring technlgy educatin, and enhancing ethical reflectin n technlgy. 3.6 Engineers cntribute t develping further and cntinually adapting these fundamentals f engineering ethics, and they participate in the discussins crrespnding.

7 Fundamentals f Engineering Ethics: Summary Engineers are respnsible fr their prfessinal actins and tasks crrespnding t their cmpetencies and qualificatins while carrying bth individual and shared respnsibilities Engineers are cmmitted t develping sensible and sustainable technlgical systems Engineers are aware f the embeddedness f technical systems int their scietal, ecnmic and eclgical cntext, and their impact n the lives f future generatins Engineers avid actins which may cmpel them t accept given cnstraints and thus lead t reducing their individual respnsibility Engineers base their actins n the same ethical principles as everybdy else within sciety. They hnur natinal laws and regulatins cncerning technlgy use, wrking cnditins, and the natural envirnment Engineers discuss cntrversial views and values acrss the brders f disciplines and cultures Engineers apply t their prfessinal institutins in cases f cnflicts cncerning engineering ethics Engineers cntribute t defining and develping further relevant laws and regulatins as well as plitical cncepts in their cuntries Engineers are cmmitted t keeping up and cntinually develping further their prfessinal skills and cmpetencies Engineers are cmmitted t enhancing critical reflectin n technlgy within schls, universities, enterprises, and prfessinal institutins

8 Dusseldrf, March 2002 VDI The Assciatin f Engineers P.O. Bx: Düsseldrf Phne: +49 (0) Fax: +49 (0) kundencenter@vdi.de