A Phenomenological Approach to Ethics Education

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A Phenomenological Approach to Ethics Education

• Veikko Porra
• Dept. of Electrical and Communications
  Engineering, Helsinki University of Technology,,
  POB-3000, FIN-02015 TKK, Finland, E-mail
  veikko.porra_at_hut.fi
• Also TEK Finnish Association of Graduate
  Engineers, Ethics Committee
• SEFI Ethics Working Group
•  

HELSINKI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
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Outline

• INTRODUCTION
• GLOBAL TRENDS IN ENGINEERING ETHICS
• INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL MORAL RULES
• WHO TALKS ON ETHICS AND WHY ?
• ENGINEERS NEED ETHICAL LEGITIMACY
• APPLICATION ETHICS COURSES AT HELSINKI
  UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
• CONCLUSION

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Introduction

• Ethics courses are already included in many
  engineering curricula
• More motivating teaching methods and course
  contents needed
• Traditional approaches
• Philosophical principles of ethics
• Codes of conduct prepared by engineering
  associations
• Case studies of accidents and catastrophes
  caused by some failure in technology
• Legal liability limits
• Proposed alternative or supplementary approach
• Engineering ethics as a phenomenon . Who are
  the actors talking on engineering ethics, and
  what are their intentions or interests in doing
  so.
• Ethics in engineering turns out to be part of
  the hard core of education, closely related with
  success in profession and business
• Example Ethics courses at Helsinki University
  of Technology

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Global trends in engineering ethics

• High ethical principles honesty, credibility,
  reliability, have always been part of
  professional pride. Since late 19th century, many
  engineering associations have declared their
  ethical codes of conduct.
• New Engineers have strengthened their ethical
  profile, and corporate ethics has become a
  strategic area of international industrial
  corporations.
• Background developments
• Weakening technology optimism (Chernobyl, weapons
  of mass destruction, environmental hazards,
  terrorist attacks etc)
• Public distrust in the ability and willingness of
  engineers to control the consequences of
  technology.
• Social and economic instabilities are increasing
  as a result of globalisation. Political power in
  society is is transferred from governments to
  multinationals

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Who are talking on ethics and why?

• Law and justice reliable and honest
  engineering, control of dangerous and harmful
  technologies by prohibitive laws, taxation, etc.
• Employer
• Work contract
• Responsibilities and rights of employees, loyalty
  and obedience limits
• Freedom of opinion and action bought by salary
  and status in organization
• Corporate values and ethics
• Three bottom lines Money, environment, human
  values
• In global business, Media Image,Environmental
  Capital and Social Capital important elements
  of success
• Inside the company, shared values strengthen
  staff discipline and commitment
• Engineering association Codes of conduct
• Ethical legitimacy necessary for a strong
  professional status
• A professional group needs internal discipline in
  order to be heard, and to be influential in
  society
• I only take duties, the purposes of which I can
  personally accept

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Who are talking on ethics and why?

• Other organizations
• Church religion Long term worries on poverty,
  unequal opportunities, greed
• Political parties Reflect public feelings over
  one election period
• NGOs Radical requirements concerning human
  rights, environmental issues and globalisation
  still only a weak signal
• Hunger, health problems, poverty among lowest
  income groups and nations
• Environmental hazards, sustainable development
• Democratic control of technology, technology and
  risk assessment
• Underground unwritten external moral
• Typically archaic and emotional, still important
  in practice
• Family Saving own family most important!
• Colleagues Never let down your fellow engineer
• Fellow citizen Values from cultural tradition

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Internal and external ethics
Codes of conduct, external
Organizations
Human relations(underground,often
archaic external ethics)
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Conflicts between external codes

• Ethical conflicts unavoidable!
• Most serious conflicts External ethical codes
  not consistent with internal moral principles.
  Only sanctions (shame) prevent breaking the
  rules.
• Many hands ethical dilemma Innovations result
  from team work Customers, designers, producers.
• Lack of feedom Technology decisions made by
  superiors.
• Strongest commitment and loyalty required at
  highest decision level corporate values are
  decisive.
• Strategic Board decisions Shareholders interest
  most important. BUT Corporate ethics part of
  the image sold to investors and
  clients.Credibility problem of advertisement
  ethics.

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Democratic control of technology

• Technology Council of ordinary people and experts
  makes proposals to decision makers
• Corporate co-operation helps in understanding the
  alternatives (and costs)
• Future workshop a technology assessment process
  to get an idea on the economic, environmental and
  social consequences of the decisions

From Tarja Cronberg, The role of engineers in
democratic technology assessment
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Social changes attributed to technology

• Mr. Smith, well soon replace you with this
  microchip,
• Code of ethics for governements Taxation should
  be moved from people to production techniques and
  consumption of natural resources.

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Global probems Greed of the rich

• The energy consumption of rich nations would be
  sufficient for only 25 of the people if all
  people in the world would consume as much energy
• Urgent code of ethics Sustainability!
• Usually included in ethics codes leading to the
  need of more advanced technologies

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Global probemsCarbage export
We all are in the same boat
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TEACHING OF ETHICS AT HUTCourse history

• First course 1989/90 Technology, values and
  the future (1 credit, equivalent to 40 hours of
  study)
• Series of 12 guest lectures given by well-known
  speakers from universities and industry, often
  two speakers on the same subject to emphasize the
  controversial nature of ethical problems
• Large and varying number of participants
  (depending on the speaker) students,
  researchers, and university employees
• Course requirements Compulsory minimum
  attendance and the writing of a short essay
• Beginning 1997 bi-annually two successive courses
  3 credits each,
• Elective independent courses. Can be included in
  doctoral studies. Requirement Attendance, essay
  and seminar
• Methods Team work, seminars and essays

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TEACHING OF ETHICS AT HUTCourse content evolution

• First generation course 1990-1995
• The aim of the course is to give the students
  (studying engineering) tools for the critical and
  independent evaluation of technology and for
  understanding the profound effects of technology.
  The course improves the students abilities to
  actively consider the effects of technology on
  the environment, society, and human beings.
• Lectures grouped according to the basic themes to
  be addressed
• High-profile speakers Quite philosophical,
  personal, academic, and also political
  stand-alone lectures . Focus on universal and
  profound questions. There were gaps in topics and
  differences in terminology and presentation
  styles. There was no common textbook, and
  handouts was used

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TEACHING OF ETHICS AT HUTCourse content example
Actors and their views

• Second generation courses, Ethics in Engineering
  I 2001
• Views of engineering association Ethics issues
  in the engineering profession, the ethics code of
  TEK (the Finnish Association of Graduate
  Engineers), the TEK Ethics data bank on the
  Internet
• Ethics, values and technology/, philosophical
  approach (Pofessor of Philosophy)
• Corporate ethics
• Busness ethics - competitive advantage or burden?
  (prject of Åbo Akademi)
• Ethics in practical business activities (Eimo
  Inc.)
• Values in new product development (Nokia Mobile
  Phones)
• Lack of freedom for engineers to make independent
  ethical choices (HUT)
• European Union perspective Philosophy of
  technology (Member of European Parliament)
• Research Ethics (Rector of HUT, Ministry of
  Education)

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Ethics of an individual engineer

• Lack of freedom for engineers to make
  independent ethical choices

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TEACHING OF ETHICS AT HUTCourse content evolution

• Second generation courses , Ethics in
  Engineering II 2002
• Ethics in biotechnology (Association of Finnish
  Bio-Industries)
• Solutions for future energy supply and ethical
  questions (HUT)
• Chemical and biological weapons (Finnish Army
  research C.)
• Information technology and ethical problems in
  practice (HUT)
• European co-operation in ethics education
• Workshop on Ethics in Engineering (two modules of
  one full day each), Henk Zandvoort, Delft
  University of Technology, The Netherlands

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Conclusions

• A phenomenological or hermeneutical teaching
  approach to engineering ethics was introduced.
  In this method the concept of professional ethics
  is interpreted by asking, who are the people
  requiring professional ethics, and what are their
  interests and intentions in doing so.
• As a citizen and as a member of many different
  organizations and groups, an engineer is required
  to follow in his work many different ethical
  principles which often are in conflict with each
  other
• It turns out, that for engineers, the ethical
  awareness is more than ever before a condition to
  the legitimacy of the profession, and to success
  in own career.