Ethics and Engineering: An Introduction (Cambridge Applied Ethics)

The world population is growing, yet we continue to pursue higher levels of well-being, and as a result, increasing energy demands and the destructive effects of climate change are just two of many major threats that we face. Engineers play an indispensable role in addressing these challenges, and whether they recognize it or not, in doing so they will inevitably encounter a whole range of ethical choices and dilemmas. This book examines and explains the ethical issues in engineering, showing how they affect assessment, design, sustainability, and globalization, and explores many recent examples including the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Dieselgate, 'naked scanners' at airports, and biofuel production. Detailed but accessible, the book will enable advanced engineering students and professional engineers to better identify and address the ethical problems in their practice.

Behnam Taebi is Professor of Energy and Climate Ethics at Delft University of Technology, and Scientific Director of the University's Safety & Security Institute. He is co-editor of The Ethics of Nuclear Energy (with Sabine Roeser, Cambridge, 2015) and co-editor-in-chief of the journal Science and Engineering Ethics.