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Because ethics in engineering is mostly about codified rule compliance rather than the deep navel gazing taken by actual philosophy students. The latter also ra
by ampdepolymerase 5y ago
Because ethics in engineering is mostly about codified rule compliance rather than the deep navel gazing taken by actual philosophy students. The latter also rarely yields useful answers. Crack open one of the "professional" engineering ethics guide books and 90% of it is thou shalt not build a bad bridge/engine/circuit because it is very bad and you should report your boss to the authorities if they do. I never understood the moral uppity and delusion those engineers have. If a bridge falls it is bad, unless if it is explicitly designed to kill enemy soldiers, then it is good. You can extend this to drones and enemy schoolbuses and the entire defence industry if you want. The so-called "engineering ethics" field should rebrand and follow the financial industry. You follow guidelines because the compliance department demands it to cover the company's derriere. If you don't, your company will get fined. Skip the self-righteous morality because its only purpose is to reduce the principle agent problem for the managerial and asset owning class.
- sammalloy 5y agoI understand your POV, but in practice, there is far more nuance to the "self-righteous morality" you describe. Take the discussion about the ethics of gene editing, for example, specifically, the editing of the human germline.
- dwighttk 5y ago> The so-called "engineering ethics" field should rebrand and follow the financial industry Wait, what? More like the finance industry’s ethics is a desirable direction?