Some Considerations About Engineering Ethics

Engineers and scientists today bear the responsibility for the quality of life of future generations more than ever before. Engineering is an important and learned profession, which has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people. The decisions and actions of engineers have a profound impact on the world we live in, and society at large. Accordingly, engineers must provide their services on the basis of honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of public health, safety, and welfare. Engineering failures are often found to stem from deficiencies in engineering ethics, and engineers are responsible for their actions to the engineering community, to political and societal institutions as well as to their employers, customers, and technology users. Unfortunately, we are frequently witnesses of more and more negative consequences of scientific and technological advances markedly caused by neglect of moral principles in human activities. Engineers have to be aware of ethics in decision making during their professional practice and they should not think only about profit, because when things go wrong, there is always an ethical dimension.