methods for moral problem solving

8/10/2019 Methods for Moral Problem Solving

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IND5172Engineering Ethics

Ethical Problem Solving Techniques

Hadi Santono, ST., MT.

E-mail: [email protected]


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!

References:

! Source: Fleddermann, C. B., Engineering Ethics, 2ndEdition, 2004, Pearson Education, India.

! Harris, C.E., Pritchard, M.S., and Rabins, M.J., 1995,

Engineering Ethics : Concepts and Cases, WadsworthPublishing Company, printed in United States ofAmerica


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Analysis of Issues in EthicalProblems!

First step in solving any ethical problem is to completelyunderstand all of the issues involved.

! Once these issues are determined, frequently a solution to the

problem becomes apparent.


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Issues Involved in understandingEthical Problem!

According t o Harris, Pritchard and Rabins, 2000 thecategories of issues involved in understanding ethicalproblems are

! Factual (based on fact)

!

Conceptual! Moral


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Factual Issues!

They involve what is actually known about a casei.e. what the facts are.

!

Though seem easy but are not always clear and

may be controversial.

! Abortion rights (its an unclear fact)


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Conceptual Issues!

To do with the meaning or applicability of an idea.

! What constitutes (Represents) a bribe (Reshwat) as opposed to anacceptable gift or to determine whether certain business

information is proprietary.

!

In case of bribe the value of the gift is probably a well known fact.What isn't known is whether accepting it will lead to unfair

influence on a business decision.

! Not clear cut and lead controversies as well.


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Moral Issues!

Relate to morals of an act/individual etc.

! Once the factual and conceptual issues have been resolvedat least to the extent possible all that remains is todetermine which moral principle is applicable to the

situation.! E.g. a bribe offered by a sales representative, once its

determined whether it is simply a bribe or is really a bribe,then the appropriate action is obvious.

!

If we determine that is indeed a bribe, then it cannotethically be accepted.


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What to do?!

Factual issues

! Can be resolved through research to establish the truth. It is notalways possible to achieve a final determination of the truth that

everyone can agree on, but generally further research helps clarify

the situation, can increase the areas of an agreement and cansometimes achieve consensus on the facts.


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!

Conceptual Issues:

! Can be resolved by agreeing on the meaning of terms andconcepts, sometimes agreement isn't possible but as with factual

issues further analysis of the concepts at least clarifies some of the

issues and helps to facilitate agreement.


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!

Moral Issues:

! Can be resolved by agreement as to which moral principles arepertinent (important)and how they hold be applied.


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Line Drawing Method!

Useful for situations n which the applicable moral principlesare clear but there seems to be great deal of gray (old) areaabout which ethical principle applies.

! It is performed by drawing a line along which variousexamples and hypothetical situations are placed.


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!

At one end of the line is placed the positive paradigm, anexample of something that is unambiguously morallyacceptable.

! At the other end the negative paradigm an example ofsomething that is unambiguously not morally acceptable is

placed.

! In between is placed the problem under consideration, along

with other similar examples.


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!

Those examples that more closely conform to thepositive paradigm are placed near it and examplescloser to the negative paradigm are placed near thatparadigm,

!

By carefully examining this continuum (field) andplacing the moral problem under consideration in theappropriate place along the line it is possible todetermine whether the problem is near the positive or

negative paradigm and therefore whether it isacceptable or unacceptable.


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Example (hypothetical example)!

Our company would like to dispose of slightly toxic (Poisonous)waste by dumping it into a local lake from which a nearbytown gets its drinking water.

! How can we determine if this practice is acceptable ?

! Let start by defining the problem and the positive and negative

paradigm.


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!

Problem:

! A company dumps waste in lake.

! The lake"water supply for a village

! Dump concentration 5 ppm (parts per million)

!

Environmental Protecting Agency (EPA) limit 10 ppm

! At 5 ppm no health problems and consumers would not be able todetect compound in their drinking water is expected.


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!

Positive Paradigm

! The water supply for the town should be clean andsafe.

!

Negative Paradigm

!

Toxic levels of waste are put into the lake.


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Line Drawing

Negative Paradigm (NP) Positive Paradigm (PP)

Dump toxic levelsof waste in lake

Water should beclean and safe


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Hypothetical Examples forConsideration

1.

The company dumps the chemical into the lake. At 5ppm the chemical will be harmless but the town

water will have an unusual taste

2.

The chemical can be effectively removed by thetowns existing water treatment system

3. The chemical can be removed by the town with newequipment that will be purchased by the company

4.

The chemical can be removed by the town with newequipment for which the taxpayer will pay


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5) Occasionally exposure to the chemical can make people feel it but this

only lasts for an hour and is rare

6) At 5 ppm, some people can get fairly sick but the sickness only lasts aweek and there is no long term harm.

7) Equipment can be installed at the plant to further reduce the waste levelto 1 ppm

(One could go on for a long time creating more and more test examples.

Generally where your problem fits along the line is obvious with only afew examples but the exercise should be continued with more examplesuntil it is clear what the proper resolution is.)


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Drawing the Line

6 5 4 1 7 2,3


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...!

It may be clear that there is a gap in the knowledge.

! In this case the organization might need moreinformation on seasonal variations in waste

concentration and water usage of the town.! Information on potential interactions of the chemical

with other pollutants such as runoff of pesticidesfrom local farms.

!

Note that there is some subjectivity in determiningexactly where along the line each of the examples fit.


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!

Our problem can be inserted in between 1 and 7 along theline.

6 5 4 1 P 7 2,3


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!

This is clear that dumping the toxic waste is probably amorally acceptable choice since no humans will be harmedand the waste levels will be well below those that could cause

any harm.

!

Since it is somewhat far from the positive paradigm there are

probably better choices that can be made and the companyshould investigate these alternatives.


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Problem with Line Drawing!

It can be used to reach false conclusion.


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Flow Charting!

It will be helpful for analyzing a variety of cases, especiallythose in which there is a sequence of events to be

considered or a series of consequence that flows fromeach decision.

! It gives a visual picture of a situation and allows you toreadily see the consequences that flow from each decision.

! One has to be as objective as possible. Otherwise it will be

possible to draw any conclusion one wants even one thatis clearly wrong.


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Bhopal Incident - Flow Charting

Illustration


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Union Carbide would like to build plant in Bhopal

Are safety laws

in India as strict

as in US?

Design Plant as inUS

Design according

to local laws

Decide on minimal

standards that will

ensure local safety

Are local laws

adequate for

safe operation?

Is this cost

effective?

Build Plant

Invest elsewhere

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Build Anyway


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!

The flow chart should be much larger and more Of course,complex to thoroughly cover the entire problem.

! The key to effective use of flow charts for solving ethical

problems is to be creative in determining possible outcomesand scenarios and also to do not be shy about getting a

negative answer and deciding to stop the project.


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