E125 Summary Reflection

Before I took E125, I had a fairly limited understanding of what constituted engineering ethics. Still, I had an opinion of what it was. I had an understanding of engineering and ethics as well, and combining them didn’t seem to be too hard. I viewed engineering as a practical fusion of math and science for the purpose of creating new technologies or architectural structures for the benefit of humanity. And I had discussions about ethics, and how ethics differs itself from the idea of morals, in English class in high school. Ethics was very much a societal implementation of values, like codes of conduct, to help serve as a guideline for people, engineers included. Going back to what I wrote about what I hoped to gain from the class in my learning proposal:

“I hope to gain some knowledge in being able to more concretely shape my idea of what engineering is, and of what engineers do. This class will hopefully help me gain some experience as well in the ethical practices of engineering and in discussing in small groups during discussion about articles pertaining to ethics in engineering.”

Were any of these assumptions challenged or changed? Why or why not? (Refer to 
specific assignments that are in your ePortfolio.)

Looking back and reading through my learning proposal, I definitely know that my presentation and communication skills were tested. I made sure not to speak with notes to help me speak on the fly; I prepared beforehand, so I did know what I was talking about. Also, the article Alice Pawley wrote, How Engineers Define Engineering, really broadened my understanding of what engineering is. Moreover, visiting the Berkeley Museum of Art seemed to coincide with the idea described in the article. Engineering, like art, is a very broad topic: art can be functional, and like engineering, can bring about discussions about ethical issues. The aesthetics of art don’t need to be the only thing connected with engineering. Still, art isn’t really the entire purpose of engineering, nor is it the most important.

What does it mean to be an ethical engineer?

Being an ethical engineer is not simply following a code of ethics. In fact, during interview presentations, I noticed that a few people had said that their interviewee did not really use a code of ethics when being faced with an ethical decision. Mostly, they had followed their own ethical code, their moral code, if you will. The examples of the BART and the Challenger were also examples of ethical engineers trying to stand up and say that some engineering project was not safe. In fact, even if their fears were not vindicated, as in the case of the BART or the Challenger dilemmas, legitimately questioning the safety of a project is an important part of being an ethical engineer.

How does (or should) ethics fit into the larger engineering curriculum?

Ethics is involved with every design and decision in engineering, and thus, shouldn’t simply be taught as one unending chunk. It needs to be broken up and discussed regularly in engineering curriculum, just like it should be in the workplace.

What is/are the engineer’s societal role(s)? Or, what should the engineer’s role be?

Just like the case of the BART, or another case from the Ethics textbook, the case of Johan van Veen, in the section on human welfare, engineering designs can have devastating effects if they fail. The professional code of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) states that “engineers shall use their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare.” This definition, although short, gives a very fair societal role.

What is your future learning plan?

One great way to incorporate a future learning plan is to read other ethics blogs. Because engineering is built around collaboration and discussion, reading the opinions of others allows you to imbibe new perspectives of others. There may be people in specific fields focusing on nuclear engineering ethics of bio-engineering ethics, so you can diversify yourself as well. http://abutec.com/ is just an example of a link to a blog I can visit. In fact, simply reading books and listening to debates on issues not even relating to engineering can help built an ethical framework. As was stated before, ASCE states engineers should use their knowledge and skill for advancing human welfare. Thus, understanding where human welfare needs enhancing is important, and being politically aware, of local, national, and even global politics can create opportunities for social and economic benefit via the introduction of engineering projects, such as water filtration systems to poor countries where people are dying of lack of potable drinking water. These seem like lofty goals and initially they are. Discussions about ethics with friends is a lot easier and more informal, This propagates a culture of ethical discussion, which is very important for guiding us towards a more ethical frame of mindset when doing engineering, amongst other fields.

Ethics in the News Reflection

The Article to which this reflection is about:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/era-memory-engineering-has-arrived/

I was initially attracted to the article when I was searching on recent news regarding science surrounding the brain. Because we still know very little about the brain (compared to other parts of your body) and how important the brain is for decision-making and our own morals, the ethics around how we study the brain is important. The brain is the organ that really makes us human, and is the reason why we have such dominance over most of the animals on the Earth. Memories are an aspect of our brain that seems almost ethereal, even though memory is controlled and regulated by neurons, physical elements of the brain. Thus, when I read the headline for this article, I was automatically interested. The idea of manipulating memories seems like it’s straight out of a science fiction movie, and to think that it could be plausible is always eye-catching.

Ethically, the article brings up issues of recreating peoples’ precious memories that have been lost by age or disease. While not specifically mentioned, Alzheimer’s is one of the diseases that could be treated with these new technologies. Moreover, based on the article’s content, I thought that memory engineering could be used for therapy and for treatment for sociopaths and psychopaths. The ethics of manipulating the brain can be that the brain makes up the person and changing the brain can technically change a person.

Being able to change memories seemed to bring me back to Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. In it, characters can take pills to keep them from being too emotionally distraught. Basically, they can keep from experiencing negative or difficult emotions. Likewise, if memories can be inserted and deleted so easily, then experiences and actual memories seem cheaper as a result. Someone else had brought up Brave New World during my leading the class discussion, so I know I’m not alone in my thinking.

While memory engineering certainly has some great possibilities for therapy and treatment of individuals who have suffered traumatic events, it is a dangerous technology. We are not quite at the level where we can erase people’s memories with the touch of a button like in the Men in Black movie series, but the nefarious possibilities are still there. Ultimately, people should give consent if they want their own memories altered. It’s their body.