The ethical engineer : contemporary concepts and cases / Robert McGinn

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface -- Chapter 1 : The ethics gap in contemporary engineering -- Chapter 2 : Sociological and ethical preliminaries -- Chapter 3 : The fundamental ethical responsibilities of engineers -- Chapter 4 : Case studies of ethical issues in engineering -- Chapter 5 : Key case ideas and lessons -- Chapter 6 : Resources and options for ethically responsible engineers -- Chapter 7 : Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.

The Ethical Engineer explores ethical issues that arise in engineering practice, from technology transfer to privacy protection to whistle-blowing. Presenting key ethics concepts and real-life examples of engineering work, Robert McGinn illuminates the ethical dimension of engineering practice and helps students and professionals determine engineers' context-specific ethical responsibilities. McGinn highlights the "ethics gap" in contemporary engineering-- the disconnect between the meager exposure to ethical issues in engineering education and the ethical challenges frequently faced by engineers. He elaborates four "fundamental ethical responsibilities of engineers" (FEREs) and uses them to shed light on the ethical dimensions of diverse case studies, including ones from emerging engineering fields. After examining the extent to which the actions of engineers in the cases align with the FEREs, McGinn recapitulates key ideas used in analyzing the cases and spells out the main lessons they suggest. He identifies technical, social, and personal factors that induce or press engineers to engage in misconduct and discusses organizational, legal, and individual resources available to those interested in ethically responsible engineering practice. -- Back cover