Towards emergent ethical action and the culture of engineering

Abstract

With the advent of the newest technologies, it is necessary for engineering to incorporate the integration of social responsibility and technical integrity. A possible approach to accomplishing this integration is by expanding the culture of the engineering profession so that it is more congruent with the complex nature of the technologies that are now being developed. Furthermore, in order to achieve this expansion, a shift in thinking is required from a linear or reductionist paradigm (atomistic, deterministic and dualistic) to a nonlinear paradigm (holistic, chaotic and subjective). Three aspects of such a nonlinear paradigm (holism, transparency and responsiveness) enable an engineer to shift from "applying ethics" to "being ethical". This culture change can be a basis for developing new curricula to satisfy the ABET-2000 requirements as well as for the practice of engineering in the 21st Century.

Are there ecological problems that technology cannot solve? Water scarcity and dams, climate change and biofuels

“…An example of reductionism is how federal engineers converted the storage reservoir problem into a differential equation with terms that could be manipulated. Reductionism thus sets up cause-and-effect relationships, and is also referred to as "atomism"-see Hauser-Kastenberg, Kastenberg, and Norris (2003). 22 Positivism, which is the application of the empiricist tradition of Francis Bacon and Isaac Newton, allows the engineer to stand as a supposedly neutral observer to the forces of nature that dictate empirical outcomes (Vesilind and Gunn, 1998, pp.…”

Being Ethical in Instructional Technology Co nsulting

“…In a discussion of emergent ethical actions and the culture of engineering, HauserKastenberg, Kastenberg, and Norris (2003) believe that a significant cultural change has taken place in engineering from "applying ethics" to "being ethical." This is true to the field of instructional technology as revealed by the literature related to ethical issues and by various persistent efforts of professional organizations, such as AECT, to increase awareness of ethical behaviors of their members.…”

“…Corporations and industries specific questions (Hauser-Kastenberg et al, 2003). During the interviews, prompting questions were asked to facilitate reflection of the instructional technology consultants' lived experiences of being ethical.…”

Social and ethical dimensions of nanoscale science and engineering research

“…An increasing number of researchers in engineering ethics and engineering education now advocate for social and ethical concerns to be treated not merely as an "add-on" to the main business of research, but as an integral part of the research process from conceptualization to design to execution to application development. 99,101,103,104,[111][112][113] This will necessitate closer professional collaborations between science and engineering laboratory researchers, science and engineering education researchers, and researchers with expertise in the philosophy and ethical aspects of science and engineering research. Similar to the curricular design described by van der Poel, Zandvoort and Brumsen, 112 for future offerings of the NANOPAC-REU program, I will consider the inclusion of a short written "case study" essay assignment which asks students to explicitly discuss potential social, ethical and environmental concerns which may arise from full development and application of their respective research projects.…”