Teaching engineering ethics

One consequence of the engineering profession´s increased interest in ethics and the social effects of technology is the involvement of philosophers in these areas. Philosophers and engineers are now beginning to work together on ethical and value problems that arise in engineering, just as philosophers and the medical profession have worked together on similar problems. Although this collaboration is somewhat belated, it will unquestionably be beneficial, for the ethical problems faced by engineers are generally mixtures of both philosophical and technical issues. They can only be effectively understood and resolved by applying the different kinds of skills and knowledge possessed by engineers and philosophers.