Ibo van de Poel - Ethics, Technology, and Engineering: An Introduction

Contents

Peter-Paul Verbeek

Michiel Brumsen

This edition first published 2011
2011 Ibo van de Poel and Lambr Royakkers
chapter 7: Peter-Paul Verbeek; chapter 10: Michiel Brumsen

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Poel, Ibo van de, 1966
Ethics, Technology, and Engineering : An Introduction / by Ibo van de Poel and Lambr Royakkers.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4443-3094-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4443-3095-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. TechnologyMoral and ethical aspects. I. Royakkers, Lambr M. M. II. Title.
BJ59.P63 2011
174.96dc22
2010042204

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This book is published in the following electronic formats: eBook 978-1-4443-9570-9;
ePub 978-1-4443-9571-6

1 2011

Acknowledgments

This book is based on our Dutch text book Royakkers, L., van de Poel, I. and Pieters, A. (eds) (2004). Ethiek & techniek. Morele overwegingen in de ingenieurspraktijk, HBuitgevers, Baarn. Most of the chapters have been thoroughly revised. Some chapters from the Dutch text book are not included and this book contains some new chapters.

Section 1.4 contains excerpts from Van de Poel, Ibo. 2007. De vermeende neutraliteit van techniek. De professionele idealen van ingenieurs, in Werkzame idealen. Ethische reflecties op professionaliteit (eds J. Kole and D. de Ruyter), Van Gorcum, Assen, pp. 1123. [translated from Dutch].

Section 3.11 and large parts of Chapter 5 are drawn from Van de Poel, I., and Royakkers, L. (2007). The ethical cycle. Journal of Business Ethics, 71 (1), 113.

Section 6.2.4. contains excerpts from Devon, R. and Van de Poel, I. (2004). Design ethics: The social ethics paradigm. International Journal of Engineering Education, 20 (3), 461469.

Section 6.3 contains excerpts from Van de Poel, I. (2009). Values in engineering design, in Handbook of the Philosophy of Science. Vol. 9: Philosophy of Technology and Engineering Sciences (ed. A. Meijers), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 9731006.

Chapter 7, which is written by Peter-Paul Verbeek is based on Verbeek, P.P. (2006a). Materializing morality Design ethics and technological mediation. Science, Technology and Human Values, 31 (3), 361380; Verbeek, P.P. (2006b), The morality of things A postphenomenological inquiry, in Postphenomenology: A Critical Companion to Ihde (ed. E. Selinger), State University of New York Press, New York, pp. 117130; and Verbeek, P.P. (2008), Morality in design: Design ethics and the morality of technological artifacts, in Philosophy And Design: From Engineering to Architecture (eds P.E. Vermaas, P. Kroes, A. Light, and S.A. Moore), Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 91103.

Section 8.7 contains excerpts from Van de Poel, I. (2009). The introduction of nan-otechnology as a societal experiment, in Technoscience in Progress. Managing the Uncertainty of Nanotechnology (eds S. Arnaldi, A. Lorenzet and F. Russo), IOS Press, Amsterdam, pp. 129142.

Section 9.2 contains excerpts from van de Poel, I., Fahlquist, J.N., de Lima, T., Doorn, N., Royakkers, L. and Zwart, S. Fairness and completeness in distributing responsibility: The case of engineering. Manuscript.

Introduction

One of the main differences between science and engineering is that engineering is not just about better understanding the world but also about changing it. Many engineers believe that such change improves, or at least should improve, the world. In this sense engineering is an inherently morally motivated activity. Changing the world for the better is, however, no easy task and also not one that can be achieved on the basis of engineering knowledge alone. It also requires, among other things, ethical reflection and knowledge. This book aims at contributing to such reflection and knowledge, not just in a theoretical sense but also more practically.

This book takes an innovative approach to engineering ethics in several respects. It provides a rather unique approach to ethical decision-making: the ethical cycle. This approach is illustrated by an abundance of cases studies and examples, not only from the US but also from Europe and the rest of the world. The book is also innovative in paying more attention than most traditional introductions in engineering ethics to such topics as ethics in engineering design, the organizational context of engineering, the distribution of responsibility, sustainability, and new technologies such as nano-technology.

There is an increasing attention to ethics in the engineering curricula. Engineers are supposed not only to carry out their work competently and skillfully but also to be aware of the broader ethical and social implications of engineering and to be able to reflect on these. According to the Engineering Criteria 2000 of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in the US, engineering graduates must have an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility and the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context (Herkert 1999).

This book provides an undergraduate introduction to ethics in engineering and technology. It helps students to acquire the competences mentioned in the ABET criteria or comparable criteria formulated in other countries. More specifically, this book helps students to acquire the following moral competencies: