Interests and Responsibilities: Multiple Subjects and Their Normative Settings in Engineering Ethics

Abstract

The complexity of modern engineering makes engineering increasingly become a collective activity, and the multiple subjects involved are constantly being highlighted. When engineering risks occur, it is often impossible to attribute all the responsibilities to a specific person, especially when researching to maximize profits. Engineering activities face more significant risks and challenges. Engineering ethics research addresses the ethical challenges and dilemmas engineers encounter in their professional practice. However, existing research methods and models may not adequately capture the diversity and interdependence of the actors and factors involved in engineering projects. For this reason, it is urgent for engineering ethics research to build a research and decision-making model that can integrate multiple subjects and multiple disciplines to solve ethical problems in specific engineering practices. By doing so, this paper hopes to promote ethical awareness and responsibility among engineers and other stakeholders and to ensure that engineering activities can genuinely serve the common good of humanity.