Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases

This text bridges the gap between theory and practice in engineering ethics. The authors provide real-life cases, structured methodology for analyzing cases, and examples of cases that have been analyzed to give students a true understanding of what is involved in practicing ethical engineering. Codes of Ethics are also provided and discussed. This book helps engineering students to carry over their natural analytical talents into a new area: moral deliberation. It shows them the importance of being analytical, stressing the fact that many apparent moral disagreements are really disagreements over the facts or over the definitions of crucial terms, and that the locus of moral disagreement can only be discovered by analysis.

Charles E. (Ed) Harris, Jr., received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Vanderbilt University, having had an undergraduate major in biology and minor in chemistry. He is Professor of Philosophy and Sue and Harry Bovay Professor of the History and Ethics of Professional Engineering. His publications are primarily in applied ethics and engineering ethics.

Michael S. Pritchard is Willard A. Brown Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Ethics in Society at Western Michigan University. His areas of teaching include ethics (theoretical and practical); the philosophies of David Hume, Adam Smith, and Thomas Reid; and the philosophical thinking of children. His publications are in the areas of ethical theory, practical and professional ethics, communication ethics, and philosophy for children. He is co-editor (with Elaine Englehardt) of TEACHING ETHICS, the official journal of the Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum.

Michael J. Rabins was active in ASME and other volunteer organizations on engineering ethics issues. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, and ended his teaching career at Texas A&M University. He helped establish a course in engineering ethics in 1989 that is now required of all engineering majors. Professor Rabins died in 2007.