Engineering Ethics


collapsed walkway photos
Example:  Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse, Kansas City, 1981 ( more details )

ethics morality law as overlapping circlesProfessional ethics is different from personal morality.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsing
 Tacoma Narrows Bridge  story  movie

Florman (ch. 7) claims that engineers don't need codes of ethics any more.
Specific issues:
Florman asks: what are the responsibilities of the professional engineer?  Serve the public interest--means what?
Go here for another analysis of Florman's views or here for an explicitly Christian analysis of engineering ethics.


Other people who have studied engineering ethics often make stronger claims--situations that feel like moral issues do arise fairly frequently.   You can find a detailed code for dealing with such subjects at National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics for Engineers.(large type )

Finally, we should think about our personal morality.


this page written and copyright by  Pamela E. Mack
last updated 9/12/2005