civil engineering

However, we can use virtue ethics in our engineering career by answering questions such as: Is this action honest? In many ways, this theory may seem to be mostly personal ethics and not par- ticularly applicable to engineering or professional ethics. However, personal moral- ity cannot, or at any rate should not, be separated from […]

How can virtue ethics be applied to business and engineering situations? In many ways, this theory may seem to be mostly personal ethics and not par- ticularly applicable to engineering or professional ethics. However, personal moral- ity cannot, or at any rate should not, be separated from professional morality. If a behavior is virtuous in

Virtue Ethics Another important ethical theory that we will consider is virtue ethics. Fundamentally, virtue ethics is interested in determining what kind of people we should be. Virtue is often defi ned as moral distinction and goodness. A virtuous person exhibits good and benefi cial qualities. In virtue ethics, actions are considered right if they

Whose rights are paramount here? priority? Using our previous example of the building of a dam, people have the right to use their property. If their land happens to be in the way of a proposed dam, then rights ethics would hold that this property right is paramount and is suf- fi cient to stop

Duty ethics and rights ethics are really just two different sides of the same coin. Both of these theories achieve the same end: Individual persons must be respected, and actions are ethical that maintain this respect for the individual. In duty ethics, people have duties, an important one of which is to protect the rights

Duty Ethics and Rights Ethics Two other ethical theories—duty ethics and rights ethics—are similar to each other and will be considered together. These theories hold that those actions are good that respect the rights of the individual. Here, good consequences for society as a whole are not the only moral consideration. A major proponent of

The fi rst of the moral theories that will be considered is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism The fi rst of the moral theories that will be considered is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism holds that those actions are good that serve to maximize human well-being. The 40 3.3 Ethical Theories emphasis in utilitarianism is not on maximizing the well-being of

What Is a Moral Theory? Before looking more closely at individual moral theories, we should start with a defi nition of what a moral theory is and how it functions. A moral theory defi nes terms in uniform ways and links ideas and problems together in consistent ways [ Harris, Pritchard, and Rabins, 2000 ].

Ethical ideas were continually refi ned during the course of history. Many great thinkers have turned their attention to ethics and morals and have tried to provide insight into these issues through their writings. For example, philosophers such as Locke, Kant, and Mill wrote about moral and ethical issues. The thinking of these philosophers is

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ETHICAL THOUGHT It is impossible in this text to give a complete history of ethical thinking. Numerous books, some of them quite lengthy, have already been written on this subject. However, it is instructive to give a brief outline of the origins and development of the ethical principles that will be