Philosophy 323: Engineering Ethics

TuTh 1:20
Garcia Residence Hall 241B
Jean-Paul Vessel jvessel@nmsu.edu
Fall 2009
Office: Breland 324
Office Hours: Tu 2:30-4:00 PM, and by appt.

What are conflicts of interest? How can they be morally problematic?

This is the official PHIL 323 web site. Here you will find the syllabus, handouts, study guides, reading assignments, written homework assignments, news, and other relevant information. I'll try to keep this thing up to date, but no guarantees! Suggestions and comments are most welcome, whether you are a PHIL 323 student or a visitor. Please email jvessel@nmsu.edu

News and Assignments (The "Living" Course Schedule):

• Tues., Dec. 1: Perhaps some student presentations will transpire. It's likely that I'll present on conflicts of interest. Master this Study Guide for the Final Exam.
• New Reading Assignment: Michael Davis' "Conflict of Interest" (317-326)
• Thurs., Nov. 19: Mr. Hedden will present. Perhaps someone else will present. If time permits, I'll introduce some conflicts of interest complexities. What are conflicts of interest? Can you construct and describe a conflicts of interest case? What's morally problematic about conflicts of interest scenarios?
• Tues., Nov. 17: We'll pursue possible solutions to ethical puzzles generated by trade secrets, secrets that have become parts of engineers. Perhaps a student presentation or two will take place. Finish up those term papers; they're due by the beginning of class on Thursday, November 19.
• Thurs., Nov. 12: We'll complete our investigation of whistle-blowing and employee loyalty before turning our attention to moral problems for engineers generated by trade secrets. There's a sense in which trade secrets are "inside" many engineers. This has posed considerable problems for engineers (as employees). The engineer--it seems--should be free to select her workplace on an open market. A corporation--it seems--should be able to protect valuable trade secrets developed within the corporation. These tensions can become serious. How should we evaluate cases of this type from a moral perspective? Be sure to give this Employee Loyalty and Whistle-Blowing handout a close study.
• Another New Reading Assignment: Michael Baram's "Trade Secrets: What Price Loyalty?" (279-290)
• Tues., Nov. 10: You'll have an opportunity to inspect your exams before a return to whistle-blowing puzzles. It's likely that an in-class quiz on the new Duska reading will take place at the beginning of class. Chris Telles informed me that the NSPE revised its Code of Ethics for Engineers as recently as July 2007. Check out the differences between the 2007 version and the 1987 version we studied in class.
• New Reading Assignment: Ronald Duska's "Whistle-Blowing and Employee Loyalty" (241-247)
• Thurs., Nov. 5: No class today. I'm declaring today "Term Paper Day". I'll continue grading your exams; I hope that you'll get to work on those term papers. I'll be in my office during our traditional classtime (1:10-2:25 PM). Feel free to drop on by if you have any questions and/or problems.
• Tues., Nov. 3: The in-class portion of Exam 1 is scheduled to take place. Please bring a couple of good pens to class. Aside from these exceptions (Peter Villa, Ralph Tan, and Marc Ortiz) the take-home portion of Exam 1 (which can be found in this Study Guide for Exam 1) is due by the beginning of class.
• Thurs., Oct. 29: We'll continue our investigation of two arguments relevant to these questions: Do we have any moral obligations to distant future generations? And if so, then what is the nature of such obligations? If time permits, we might chat briefly about the structure and substance of the upcoming Exam 1.
• Exam 1 is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 3 at 1:20 PM. Note also that the take-home portion of Exam 1 is due by the beginning of class on Tuesday, November 3. You can find the take-home portion of the exam in this Study Guide for Exam 1.
• Tues., Oct. 27: We'll begin a discussion on the possibility (and nature) of moral obligations to distant future generations. Please read Golding's "Limited Obligations to Future Generations." It will probably do you some good to wrap your mind around the content of this handout on Moral Obligations to Future Generations. You should definitely get to work on your Take-Home Term Paper Quiz. Secure a topic. Secure sources in the philosophical literature relevant to disputes related to your topic. Your Take-Home Term Paper Quiz is due by 1:20 PM on Thursday, October 29.
• Final Reading Assignment Prior to Exam 1: Martin Golding's "Limited Obligations to Future Generations" (distributed in class)
• Thurs., Oct. 22: After wrapping up any unfinished Pinto action, we'll begin a discussion on the possibility (and nature) of moral obligations to distant future generations. Exam 1 is coming soon, probably a week from today: Thursday, October
• Tues., Oct. 20: We'll jump into the Pinto action. It's likely that I'll distribute our final reading prior to Exam 1. You should get to work on the take-home portion of Exam 1 (contained within this Study Guide for Exam 1) and this Take-Home Term Paper Quiz.
• Thurs., Oct. 15: A quiz on the Pinto reading will likely take place at the beginning of class. After a final foray into the codes, we'll turn our attention to Pintos, whistle-blowing, and moral responsibility in large corporations. You can find the take-home portion of Exam 1 (the "code" related portion of it) in this Study Guide for Exam 1. My hope is that you'll be able to succeed on this portion of the exam after today's class (if not earlier).
• New Reading Assignment: De George's "Ethical Responsibilities of Engineers in Large Organizations: The Pinto Case" (175-186)
• I know that you all are salivating at the prospect of writing a philosophical term paper for me. In order to submit a term paper, you must receive a satisfactory grade on your Take-Home Term Paper Quiz. Otherwise, I simply won't accept your work. And this little document should prove to be quite handy: The Official Term Paper Document. Your Take-Home Term Paper Quiz is due by 1:20 PM on Thursday, October 29. The term paper itself is due by 1:20 PM on Thursday, November 19. As per usual, no late assignments will be accepted. Please utilize these Presentation Guidelines in the construction of your presentation projects. If you are having trouble choosing an attractive topic, please see me as soon as possible. I can help--but, again, I won't be accepting any late quizzes.
• Thurs., Oct. 8: After a brief foray into Virtue-Vice theoretical accounts of moral rightness, we'll return to the code and the Unger piece. In fact, there may be a short in-class quiz dedicated to the Unger article near the beginning of class. The official term paper documents should be available by Tuesday, October 13.
• Tues., Oct. 6: I plan on returning a couple of quizzes to you before going over Quiz 3 in class. Then we'll tussle with Golden Rule. If time permits, we may even dive into Virtue-Vice theoretical accounts of moral rightness. Wrap your mind around the PEEing procedure with these Step-by-Step Instructions on How to PEE. Learn to PEE. Learn to love to PEE!!
• Thurs., Oct. 1: An in-class quiz on the Baby Logic and this Background on NEB handout will take place near the end of class. We'll continue to practice PEEing. After submitting 10C to a few more theoretical attacks, we'll set the Golden Rule in our sights.
• Tues., Sept. 29: We'll continue tussling with the fundamental concepts of the normative ethics of behavior before turning to some preliminary moral theories. It's possible that some PEEing with transpire, perhaps even some collective PEEing!!
• Thurs., Sept. 24: More logic, then we'll turn to the fundamental project of the normative ethics of behavior, so please bring a hard copy of this Background on NEB handout to class.
• Sophia--the NMSU Philosophy Club--cordially invites you to hear Dr. William Michael Kallfelz present his paper, "Transformation Reduction “Precisified” through Structuralism", Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 4:30 in GU 100.
• Tues., Sept. 22: We'll finish up the logic before jumping into the fundamental project of the normative ethics of behavior, so please bring a hard copy of this Background on NEB handout to class.
• Here's the take-home portion of Exam 1: Identify and then list some problematic clause(s) in the "Code of Ethics for Engineers." Present a criticism against the selected clause(s). Describe some way that the code might be modified in efforts to rectify the problems resulting from the problematic feature(s).
  • This take-home portion of Exam 1 must be typed. It should be either ONE page or TWO pages long (double-spaced). No longer.
  • People hoping to get satisfactory grades on this portion of Exam 1 should write in a professional manner. The style (punctuation, syntax, spelling, usage, etc.) must be clean.
  • No "take-home" portions of Exam 1 will be accepted after the in-class portion of Exam 1 transpires.
• Sophia--the NMSU Philosophy Club--cordially invites you to attend our first meeting of the semester. Mark Walker will be presenting his "Playing Doctor: why the uninsured ought to be permitted to self-medicate," in room BC 106 (Business Complex) at New Mexico State University on Sept. 16 at 4:30 PM.
• Tues., Sept. 15: Upon completion of our discussion of the Hippocratic Oath, we'll jump into logic, so please bring a hard copy of this Baby Logic handout to class.
• New Reading Assignments: The first three selections in Chapter 9 of Johnson's Ethical Issues in Engineering: "Engineer's Creed" (97), "Code of Ethics for Engineers" (98-104), and Stephen H. Unger's "Codes of Engineering Ethics" (105-129).
• Thurs., Sept. 10: After completing our discussion of the nature of ethics, we'll investigate the Hippocratic Oath--the first extant expression of concern for professional ethics in the Western tradition. If time permits, we'll blast into logic, so please bring a hard copy of this Baby Logic handout to class and study some version of the Hippocratic Oath. A short in-class quiz dedicated to Ladd's "Collective and Individual Moral Responsibility in Engineering: Some Questions" (26-39) will likely take place at the beginning of class.
• Tues., Sept. 8: Please bring a hard copy of some version of the Hippocratic Oath to class--it could mean 15 quiz points to you! After completing our discussion of the nature of ethics, we'll blast into logic, so please bring a hard copy of this Baby Logic handout to class. You might want to start pondering about these types of questions: How is moral philosophy distinct from the other subfields of philosophy? To what extent does moral philosophy overlap with some of the other subfields?
• Thurs., Sept. 3: After completing our discussion of the nature of philosophy, we'll turn our attention to ethics, and then logic. Please bring a hard copy of this Baby Logic handout to class. A note to my ethics veteran (Chris Billings): Attendance is optional for you for quite some time. You're invited to attend, but you're also welcome to enjoy a nice, juicy veteran vacation. I suggest that you vets begin working on securing an attractive term paper topics in any (legitimate) subfield of philosophy.
• Tues., Sept. 1: We will not be meeting as a class today. Familial and other professional responsibilities will rule my day. We'll return to the philosophical fray as a class come Thursday, September 3.
• Thurs., Aug. 27: Your Take Home Quiz on the Philosopher's Index is due by the beginning of class. We'll continue to discuss the nature of philosophy--moral philosophy in particular--before turning to logic. Please give your first reading assignment a close and careful read. It's likely that it will be the subject of an in-class quiz on Tuesday, September 1.
• Here's your Take Home Quiz on the Philosopher's Index. Quizzes should be typed. No quizzes will be accepted after 1:20 PM on Thursday, August 27.
• Tues., Aug. 25: What is Philosophy? A note to my ethics veteran (Chris Billings): Attendance is optional for you for quite some time. You're invited to attend, but you're also welcome to enjoy a nice, juicy veteran vacation. I suggest that you begin working on securing an attractive term paper topic in any (legitimate) subfield of philosophy.
• First Reading Assignment: John Ladd's "Collective and Individual Moral Responsibility in Engineering: Some Questions" (26-39)
• Welcome Students! Please get down to the NMSU Bookstore (second floor) and pick up a copy of Ethical Issues in Engineering (by Deborah G. Johnson).
• Please take a look at the Baby Logic handout below. Try to get a grasp of the concepts of validity and soundness. Become familiar with the basic forms of valid inference. Memorize the definition of 'valid'.
• Please read through Bruce Aune's "Punctuation and Syntax". (You should probably print out a copy of it.) Contained within the document are style constraints that must be adhered to if you hope to succeed in this class. It's long, dry, and not all that philosophical--but I know you can get through it.

Handouts:

• Syllabus
• Baby Logic
• Bruce Aune's "Punctuation and Syntax"
• Take Home Quiz on the Philosopher's Index
• Background on NEB
• Step-by-Step Instructions on How to PEE
• Take-Home Term Paper Quiz
• The Official Term Paper Document
• Presentation Guidelines
• Pinto
• Moral Obligations to Future Generations
• Study Guide for Exam 1
• Employee Loyalty and Whistle-Blowing
• Study Guide for the Final Exam

Engineering Ethics Resources:

• Online Ethics Center at the National Academy of Engineering
• National Institute for Engineering Ethics

J-P's Philosophy Pages

NMSU Philosophy Department Homepage

Sophia: The NMSU Undergraduate Philosophy Club

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

PhilosophyTalk.org

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