prof ethics unit-3
TRANSCRIPT
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Dr. R. Gowri Sankara RaoProfessor and Head of the Dept.
Dept. Of EEE
MVGR College of Engineering,Vizianagaram
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The ethics of social experimentationConscientiousness:
Respect for stakeholders rights:
reasonable safety & informed consent
Skill & expertise:
Predicting outcomes & identifying risks
Designing to maximise net benefits
Protecting the rights of the disadvantaged
Comprehensive perspective:
Recruit expertise in other disciplines as
required Utilise disinterested decision makers or
advisers
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IntroductionObjective:
Relate ethical theories to engineeringpractice
A useful perspective:
View engineering activities as socialexper iments: Engineers create experimental situations
through innovation
Society participates in these experiments as
subjects Uncertainty about outcomes implies risk:
Important to identify & quantify risks where possible
Decision makers may make biased decisions
unless accountable for (uncertain) outcomes
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Engineering as Social ExperimentationEthical issues for engineers as
experimenters: Duties to experimental subjects
Rights of experimental subjects
Assessment of costs & benefits of the
experiment
Relationship between experimenter &subject:
Legal framework: Legal obligations on experimenter, but these
may not address innovative situations
Codes of ethics:
Primary responsibility lies with the experimenter
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Framing the Problem
Concept
Engineering:DesignProduceInstallOperate
Intended outcomes:User satisfactionCompany profitsUnintended outcomes
Corporatecontext:Time pressure
Cost pressureSecrecy
External context:UncertaintyLegal frameworkSocial impactsEnvironmental impacts
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Determining the Facts Codes of Ethics
Legal framework sets the outer boundary
Justice:- punishment, restitution, structuralchange:
Designed to protect equity
Industry codes reflect corporate interests:
Often to mollify unfavourable publicopinion, eg:
Real estate, insurance sales, banking
At their best, professional codes reflect thepublic interest:
Can provide a check-list when consideringan engineering experiment
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Positive roles of codes of ethics
Inspiration & guidance for professionals:
Sustain an ethical standard in theprofession
Practical support for ethical actions:
Reduce the risks of victimisation
Education & mutual understanding (trust):
Between the profession & the public
Maintain public image (avoid regulation)
Deterrence & discipline (paralegalproceedings):
To investigate & rule on alleged unethicalactivities
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Limitations of codes of ethicsProtect the status quo (ethical
conventionalism):
Codes (like laws) tend to lag behindinnovation
Restrict and/or stifle dissent
Protect the profession from competition: Now illegal under the Trade Practices Act
Internal contradictions between tenets of acode:
A common problem with professional codes
Generality or vagueness of wording:
Cannot be drafted with a particular situation
in mind
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Example: the IEEE code of ethics(www.ieee.org)
1. To accept responsibility in making engineering
decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfareof the public, and to disclose promptly factors thatmight endanger the public or the environment
2. To avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest wheneverpossible, and to disclose them to affected parties whenthey do exist
3. To be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimatesbased on available data
4. To reject bribery in all its forms
5. To improve the understanding of technology, itsappropriate application, and potential consequences
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Clarifying concepts
Subjects:
Individual consumers, groups or society as awhole:
Those who can make informed choices, and
Those requiring advocates:
Disadvantaged, future generations, other species & theenvironment
Impacts:
Health, safety & the environment
Changes to social structure & social status: Income & wealth distribution
Lifestyles & personal empowerment
Education, culture
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Features of engineering experiments
Absence of a control group ( equivalent non-participants):
Products & services usually offered to all
Benefits may such that they cant bewithheld from a particular group
Society may have little prior understanding: Innovative products & services
Uncertainty in future impacts (positive or
negative) Informed judgements are difficult to make:
For both experimenter and subject
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ELEC4011 - Lecture5: Eng'g as socialex erimentation
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Informed consent
Stakeholders:
Experimental subjects, experimenters,others who can affect the outcome, or maybe affected by it
Stakeholders have a right to informedconsent:
A voluntary & conscious decision made onthe basis of all relevant information
Issues:
Identification of stakeholders (present &future)
Adequacy of information
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Issues for informed consent
Voluntary participation not always possible, eg:
Technology that has widespread effects on thepublic:
For example, the Y2K bug
Future generations or citizens of other countries
Stakeholders may be hard to identify, eg:
Those affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident
Proxy group can represent unknown stakeholders:
Adequate diversity & information
Adequate decision making competence
Strongly differing opinions may hamperconsensus
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Common Ground
Objectives:
deter poor practice; encourage innovation
Balance between:
Individual & corporate rights versuspublic welfare
Heavy-handed regulation versusderegulation
Consensus outcomes versusadversarial litigation Guidelines & standards versusinnovation
The key legislation is the Trade Pract ices Ac t:
Goods must be fit for their intended purpose
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THE END