Ethics in Engineering: A Discussion

This philosophy assignment examines the application of ethical theories in engineering. It discusses virtue ethics, emphasizing engineers' responsibility to consider societal impact, duty ethics, highlighting adherence to responsibilities towards communities, and consequentialism, focusing on the moral worth of actions and their outcomes. The analysis is enriched by an interview with an engineer named Nico who provides real-world insights into these ethical frameworks.

PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
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Author’s Note:

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Conclusion:
There have been enlightening discussions on the concepts of Virtue Ethics, Duty Ethics
and Consequentialism. The interview conducted with the engineer Nico has been a learning
insight into several realities of life. Ethics is immensely important in any walk of life. Nico being
an engineer discussed about the importance that engineers should give to virtue ethics.
According to him engineers should consider the impact every new technology has on the society
and the technological inventions should be adjusted, modified or not considered depending on
the functionalities. Any technological device which compromised on the privacy of the people
and community at large needed to be changed in compliance with the virtue ethics concepts.
The duty ethics is basically a concept which allows an individual to adhere to the
responsibilities of the job. There is a responsibility of every brand and every individual of that
company towards the community. Knowingly no brand should put any item in the market which
is detrimental to the people in any way Duty ethics comprise of understanding how a particular
product can impact the society and thereby acting accordingly. As mentioned by Nico, whenever
any particular design or aspect of a technological component posed any harm towards the society
it was not accepted by the commission. He has clearly mentioned in the interview that duty
ethics should be maintained at all times. He considers the fairness and safety of the people to be
the most important criteria for the people to maintain at all times.
The concept of consequentialism is helpful in understanding the moral worth of the
actions of the people and the results of the actions which they perform in connection to any
particular situation. While working on a project, only performing or doing the job is not the only
criterion. There needs to be a strict policy taken against the military utilities after knowing the

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possible outcomes so that the media do not misunderstand the intentions behind the performance
of certain duties. The motives of the people working should clearly reflect the positivity of their
intentions. There are several responsibilities which the people need to look after. In all cases it is
needed to look beyond the work of the people and instead understand what motives prompted
them to take a particular decision. The three theories provide a suitable understanding of the
concept of ethics to be implemented.