What is the meaning of ethics and why is it important in the practice of engineering research?
Answer:-
- Technological developments raise a whole range of ethical concerns such as privacy issues and data related to surveillance systems, and so engineering researchers need to make ethical decisions and are answerable for the repercussions borne out of their research as outcomes.
- The reason that ethics matter in data used in engineering research is usually because there is impact on humans. Certain practices may be acceptable to certain people in certain situations, and the reasons for unacceptability may be perfectly valid.
- We have unprecedented access to data today, and unprecedented options for analysis of these data and consequences in engineering research related to such data. Are there things that are possible to do with this data, that we agree we should not do?
- Engineering ethics gives us the rule book; tells us, how to decide what is okay to do and what is not. Engineering research is not work in isolation to the technological development taking place.
- Researchers make many choices that matter from an ethical perspective and influence the effects of technology in many different ways:
- By setting the ethically right requirements at the very outset, engineering researchers can ultimately influence the effects of the developed technology.
- Influence may also be applied by researchers through design (a process that translates the requirements into a blueprint to fulfill those requirements). During the design process, decision is to be made about the priority in importance of the requirements taking ethical aspects into consideration.
- Thirdly, engineering researchers have to choose between different alternatives fulfilling similar functions.
- Research outcomes often have unintended and undesirable side effects. It is a vital ethical responsibility of researchers to ensure that hazards/risks associated with the technologies that they develop, are minimized and alternative safer mechanisms are considered.
- If possible, the designs should be made inherently safe such that they avoid dangers, or come with safety factors, and multiple independent safety barriers, or if possible a supervisory mechanism to take control if the primary process fails.