Around the turn of the millennium, a young woman with outstanding academic achievements in science and mathematics applied to study engineering at a Eu- pean university. She had chosen to study engineering particularly because of the opportunities she expected it would give her to make a contribution to the well- ing of others. It happened that the university engineering department to which she applied had just been involved in the design of a vehicle for a world speed record attempt. When the young woman visited the university for interview this "triumph of technology" was presented as being a quintessential example of good engine- ing. However, though it was clear to her that the vehicle was technically ing- ious, she also recognised that it was of no practical use. She concluded that she had misunderstood the nature of engineering, and still wishing to help others she changed her plans and studied medicine, at which she assuredly excelled. This young woman's change of career was undoubtedly a specific loss for en- neering. Additionally, it had a broader, tragic dimension; for her understanding of the purpose of engineering was more mature than that of the academics she - countered. Moreover, their imbalanced prioritisation of technical ingenuity over helping people is not uncommon within parts of the profession.
Engineering has made an enormous contribution to providing the material well-being that promotes human flourishing. It can also be the cause of immense human suffering. The ethics of engineering is relatively unexplored compared to other professions such as medicine and business, but interest is undergoing a revival.
Engineering Ethics: Outline of an Aspirational Approach aims to provide engineers with an inspiring view of the overall ethical direction of their profession in a way that has direct practical outcomes for their work practices. Key features of this original text include:
- Concern with the overall ethical direction of engineering rather than simply specific moral quandaries.
- The use of two key exemplars as a focus for the ethical issues: military engineering and water provision in developing countries.
- The relation of engineering ethics to medical ethics and business ethics.
- The development of an original and imaginative ethical analysis, providing a challenge to currently prevailing views.
- An original analysis that leads to specific suggestions for changes in engineering education, engineering institutions, industry practices and the public positioning of engineering, as well as suggesting an aspirational role for engineering in international political initiatives.
Engineering Ethics: Outline of an Aspirational Approach will provoke debate among engineers, philosophers and the educated public.
