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EN575.

404 Principles of Environmental Engineering


Module 1 Part 2 - Lecture Notes

Ethics, the Environment and Engineering


Morals
The values that govern human interactive behavior for mutual benefits
Personal Duties

Trust
Integrity
Truthfulness
Gratitude and reparation
Justice
Beneficence (useful, valuable)
Self-improvement

Professional Duties

Professional relationships
Efficacy (the power to produce an effect)
Confidentiality
Impartiality

(Aerne Vesilind)
Moral Values
Do Not:

Cause pain
Disable
Deprive freedom
Deprive pleasure
Deceive
Break promises
Cheat
Break the law
Neglect your duty
Kill

Moral Problems

Lie, cheat, and steal to your advantage


Hurt others if this gives you pleasure
Break the law if you can get away with it
Don not keep promises
Let others do their duty so you can benefit from

Purposes of Morality

Keep society from falling apart


Resolve conflicts of interest in just and orderly ways
Promote human flourishing
Ameliorate (make better or more tolerable) human suffering
Assign praise and blame, reward and punishment, and guilt

www.student-subway.com/media/image-gallery/im

Ethics
Provide a systematized framework for making decisions where values conflict
Process each person uses to make value-laden decisions
Moral values that guide us on how to treat each other
Mostly action (what you do), not knowledge (what you know)
Different cultures might have different moral principles and ethical systems
Ethics are not something that can be forced on a person
Moral Community
Individuals that interact and agree to treat each other ethically in an mutually acceptable
manner (reciprocity)

Ethical person (moral agent):


One within the moral community who makes decision based on an ethical system
(acts ethically)

Example:
Hedonism: system of ethics that maximizes personal pleasure
If one adopts hedonism as an acceptable mode of behavior (ethic), one would be acting
ethically by cheating in test to minimize the study time and maximize the party time
Groups of Ethical Theories
I. Consequentialism
The theory that the value and especially the moral value of an act should be judged
by the value of its consequences
Moral dilemmas are resolved on the basis of consequences
If good is to be maximized, the alternative that creates the greatest good is correct
(moral)
Does the decision minimize actual and potential harm?

Utilitarianism (Bentham and Mill):


A theory that the aim of action should be the largest possible balance of pleasure
over pain or the greatest happiness of the greatest number
Good for the group, least harm for the group
Since it is averaged, permits and encourages the suffering of a few for the benefit
of many
To maximize the overall good or to produce the greatest good for the greatest
number
Utilitarianism dictate a decision where moderate happiness of many results in
extreme unhappiness of a few
Influential in areas of economics, public policy, regulations, with a significant role
in environmental policy

Egoism:
A doctrine that individual self-interest is the actual motive and the valid end of all
actions
Good for me, least harm to me

Altruism:
Unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others
Behavior by an individual that is not beneficial to or may be harmful to itself but
that benefits others of its species
Good for all, some harm to me

II: Deontological: An Ethics of Duty and Rights


Emphasizes the goodness of the act not its consequence
The acts are judged as good or bad, right or wrong, in themselves, irrespective of
the consequences
The emphasis is on the relationship between the duty and morality of human action

E.g., Ten Commandments rules meant to be followed regardless of consequences


Kants Categorical Imperative:
o Principle of Universalizability
If an act is acceptable for one person, it must be equally acceptable for others
This principle of consistency is a simple test for rationality of a moral principle;
what if everyone did this?
o Principle of Respect
Are people treated as ends rather than means?
Environmental Ethics
A framework to make decisions within our environment that will concern not only
ourselves but the rest of the world as well (animals, plans, mountains, oceans, etc.)
Views:
1) Anthropocentric (human-centered)
Nature is here only for the benefit of people
Environmental values are instrumental values measured in terms of the support nature
provides for human survival and it is useful and valuable to people just like commodities
(freedom, health, opportunity)
Kant: So far as animals are concerned, we have no direct duties. Animals are not selfconscious and are there merely as a means to an end. That end is man.
Reciprocity argument:
An entity has rights only if the entity can fulfill reciprocal duties, i.e. can act as a moral
agent

Characteristics of a moral agent

Self-consciousness, capability of acting, free will, and understanding of moral principles


Outcome:
People are the masters of the world and can use its resources solely for human
benefits without any consideration for the rights of animals and other species

2) Extensionist
Attempts to attribute intrinsic value to nature and extend the moral community to
include other creatures and nonhuman nature and include them in the ethical-decision
making scheme
Outcome:
Humans are not different in kind from the rest of the nature and are simply a part of
the natural system
Nonhuman creatures have rights too
Killing animals for consumption should be done with compassion and a sense of
sacredness toward all of life
Biocentric:
Each organism is a center of life and all organisms are interconnected
Humans are no more or less important than other organisms
Outcome:
The pathogens might be included in the moral community
Ecocentric:
Ecosystems must be preserved because without the ecosystems nothing can survive
A system of concentric rings extending outward at decreasing levels of moral
protection, with the most important moral entities (humans) in the center
The grading criteria for various creatures and places are not resolved
Outcome:
An anthropocentric environmental ethic with fuzzy boundaries
Preservation Principle:
(Environmental philosopher Tom Regan)
A principle of non-destruction, non-interference, and generally non- meddling (nonintrusive)
Deep Ecology:
In nature humans are no important than other creatures or the rest of the world; they
are a part of cosmos and are made of same raw materials

Deep ecology as opposed to the anthropocentric (shallow ecology in which, nature is


valued instrumentally) include everyone and everything in the moral community
Calls for the gradual reduction of the human population and changes in lifestyle to
use fewer resources
Theocentric:
Environmental attitudes are grounded in spirituality
Animistic:
The religion (e.g. Native American) recognizes the existence of spirits within nature
(tree, brook, sky) that do not take human forms (unlike Greek and Roman religions)
A Guide to Moral Decision Making
The order of the steps is not crucial, and may vary in different situations)
A. Recognizing the Moral Dimension
The first step is recognizing the decision as one that has moral importance
Important clues include conflicts between two or more values or ideals
B. Who Are the Interested Parties? What are their relationships?
Carefully identifying who has a stake in the decision by being imaginative and
sympathetic
Often there are more parties whose interests should be taken into consideration
than is immediately obvious
Look at the relationships between the parties and with yourself, and with relevant
institutions.
Do those relationships bring special obligations or expectations?
C. What Values Are Involved?
Thinking through the shared values that are at stake in making this decision:
Is there a question of trust?
Is personal autonomy a consideration?

Is there a question of fairness?


Is anyone to be harmed or helped?
Are any rights (The right to know, the right to privacy, the right to property)
abridged?
Are any duties or responsibilities not met?
D. Weighing the Benefits and the Burdens
Benefits: E.g. production of goods (physical, emotional, financial, social, etc.) for
various parties, the satisfaction of preferences, acting in accordance with various
relevant values (fairness)
Burdens: might include causing physical or emotional pain to various parties,
imposing financial costs, and ignoring relevant values
E. Look for Analogous Cases
Can one think of other similar decisions?
What course of action was taken?
Was it a good decision?
How is the present case like that one?
How is it different?
F. Discussion with Relevant Others
Discussing a decision with as many persons as have a stake in it
Gathering opinions, and asking for the reasons behind those opinions
Ability to discuss others may be limited by the other people's expectations of
confidentiality
G. Does this Decision Accord with Legal and Organizational Rules (Legality versus
Ethicality)?
Some decisions are appropriately made based on legal considerations
If one option is illegal, we should at least think very seriously before taking that
option

Decisions may also be affected by rules set by organizations of which we are


members
Professional organizations have Codes of Ethics intended to guide individual
decision-making
Institutions (universities, hospitals, banks, corporations) have policies that limit
the options available to us
It is ethically important to pay attention to laws & rules; but sometimes there are
bad laws, or bad rules, and sometimes those should be broken
H. Am I Comfortable with this Decision?
(Applied ethics)
Sometimes the gut reaction tells one if he/she has missed something
Questions to be asked:
If I carry out this decision, would I be comfortable telling my family about it? My
clergyman? My mentors? Published in a newspaper?
Would I want children to take my behavior as an example?
Is this a decision that a wise, informed, virtuous person would make?
Can I live with this decision?
* Ethics are not something that can be forced on a person
Source:
Chris MacDonald
http://www.ethicsweb.ca/aboutchris.html

The Newspaper Test

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Ethical Priorities in Engineering Practice


(Highest to Lowest)

Society and the public

The law

The engineering profession

Other involved engineers

The engineers client

The engineers firm

The engineer personally

Society and the public

An engineer shall place service to public above personal gain


Work and express professional opinion to public only is areas of knowledge
Keep his/her professional skills at a high/updated level
Notify the proper authorities (whistle blowing) when decisions made adversely
affect public safety and welfare

The law
The engineer shall comply with all the law and regulations applicable to his tasks
and assignments

The engineering profession


The engineer must develop knowledge and appreciation of the engineering
profession and its achievement

Other involved engineers


The engineer should not attempt to damage the professional reputation, business
practice or employment position of another engineer
Should not try to replace another engineer once the other engineer has received
employment
Should freely publish, report and distribute information (not subject to legal or
confidential restrains) that would be useful to other engineers

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The engineers client


The engineer should accept work that does not have knowledge, skill or time to
complete
Must keep confidential of the confidential client information, which is the property
of client
Must avoid conflict of interest that might influence his/her judgment regarding the
contract
Should not accept compensation from more than one client for the same service
Must not be bound by client desires when they would be unsuccessful, dishonest
or unethical
Must openly admit to client any errors made
Plans and specifications provided to suppliers (on behalf of the client) must be
complete, definite and specific

The engineers firm

An engineer should not accept assignments that he/she does not have
knowledge, skill or time to complete

The engineer personally

Competitive bidding:
Competitive bidding
promotes cut cutting which results in lower quality design
Private clients are not require to seek competitive bids for design services (to lowest
bidder)
Professional engineering societies lobby for legislations to prohibit commutative bidding
for design services by public agencies

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American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)


Code of Ethics

Fundamental Principles:

Engineers uphold and advance the integrity, honor and dignity of the engineering
profession by:
1. Using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare and the
environment
2. Being honest and impartial and serving with fidelity the public, their employers
and clients
3. Striving to increase the competence and prestige of the engineering profession
4. Supporting the professional and technical societies of their disciplines

Fundamental Canons
1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and
shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the
performance of their professional duties.
2. Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence.
3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
4. Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.
5. Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services
and shall not compete unfairly with others.
6. Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor,
integrity, and dignity of the engineering profession.
7. Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers,
and shall provide opportunities for the professional development of those
engineers under their supervision.

Guidelines to Practice Under the Fundamental Canons of Ethics:


http://www.ethics.ubc.ca/resources/environmental/

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Environmental Justice
o Fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people (regardless of race,
color, national origin, or income) in the development, implementation, and
enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies
o No racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic group of people should bear a
disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting
from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations
There are two types of education. One should teach us how to make a living and the
other how to live."
- John Adams

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