Why study engineering ethics?

What has philosophy^[1]
got to do with engineering? As it turns out everything^[2]. 

In fact, many early great engineers^[3]
also happened to be philosophers.

Here we will discuss why philosophy is important^[4]
in many aspects of engineering and your life in general. It might
just be time for you, yourself, to “stand on the shoulders of giants^[5]“. 

RELATED: 30 MUST READ ENGINEERING
BOOKS^[6]

Why study engineering ethics?

First of all, it might be worth exploring what is actually
meant by ethics. 

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary^[7], ethics is defined as:
–

“The discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with
moral duty and obligation.”

In this sense, it attempts to provide a framework for
individuals to help them make better moral choices when dealing
with other individuals. To borrow a phrase, strong personal ethics
“is doing the right thing even when no one is
watching.” – C. S. Lewis^[8].

Ethical (and moral) principles^[9] are the foundation of
trust in many industries, none more so than
engineering. For engineers, like many other
professions,^[10] ethics define the
acceptable rules and standards that govern how we should conduct
our roles as professionals. 

They help engineers to “do the right thing” based on a set of
agreed principles and practices. Ethics, in this sense, will enable
engineers to deal with colleagues, clients, employees, ‘users’, and
the public throughout their career.

By learning, and integrating, ethics into your skillset you will
be able to achieve at least five beneficial outcomes: –

1. You will have an increased overall ethical sensitivity as an
individual,

2. You will gain an increased knowledge of relevant standards of
conduct,

3. Your ethical judgment will be greatly improved,

4. You will boost your ethical will-power, and;

5. It will greatly increase trust between individuals
within a working relationship. Whether they be a colleague or a
client. More trust means more work and improved reputation in the
long run.

Ethical decisions will be faced by many engineers at some point
in their careers. You will likely face moral dilemmas in areas
like: –

• Public safety.
• Bribery and fraud.
• Environmental protection.
• Fairness.
• Honesty in Research and testing.
• Conflicts of interest. 

For these reasons, and many others, it is important than
engineers are ethically prepared to “do what is right” in the long
run not what is expedient at the moment.

Especially when people’s lives and wellbeing could be put at
risk. 

How is philosophy relevant in business?

Philosophy underpins many aspects of our lives every single
da^[11]y. Whether you are aware
of it or not, philosophy defines many of the ways we interact
without even noticing it. 

But awareness of philosophy can also provide many benefits
to an individual’s life. It can also help you fortify yourself for
the trials and tribulations of life. 

This is especially true for business. Ideally, a business
will have a product or service that is so good that people will
willingly throw money at it. 

But when all things are equal amongst competitors, philosophy
can give you a serious competitive advantage. This is where the
strong core values of a company can give an edge over its
competition. 

“These core values become the business philosophy that
your team and your clients experience. As a business leader,
business core values start
with your core values.

When you integrate your values into the business
philosophy, your values become part of the company culture. A
company that has a positive culture tends to be more efficient and
productive.” – the chron.com^[12]. 

A healthy, positive business culture will help customers and
suppliers trust and like you, and allow you to attract and retain
staff. In the long run, these factors will greatly improve a
company’s success and longevity. 

Why is philosophy relevant today?

Philosophy has^[13], and will always, be
relevant. It is, to put it plainly, the thing that underpins many
aspects of our lives from how we treat one another as private
individuals to the macro-culture of a nation.

While you may consider philosophy a “soft” subject, it is
important to grasp that things like the sciences cannot provide meaningful answers on how to
live your life.^[14] They are also not
useful tools for determining what is “good” and “bad – -as some of
the atrocities of the 20th Century speak
volumes^[15]. 

But, that being said, they are not mutually exclusive. It
is also important to appreciate that STEM and philosophy^[16] are inextricably linked
together. 

When you begin to study and learn philosophy you will
quickly learn to appreciate how little life has actually changed
for individuals. Our struggles today, while different, are
incredibly similar to those of our forebears. 

“What is the meaning of life?”, “How do I live a good
life?”, “What is my life’s purpose^[17]?”. These and many other
common questions^[18] you probably ask
yourself in the privacy of your own home have been asked many times
before for thousands of years. 

“Philosophy is not obsolete. Philosophy brings important
questions to the table and works towards an answer. It encourages
us to think critically about the world; it is the foundation of all
knowledge and when utilized properly, can provide us with huge
benefits.” – Alexander Leivesley.^[19]

Many of the great philosophers of the past have struggled
with these very questions. By integration some of their teachings,
you can learn to “hack” life. 

After all, you don’t need to re-invent the
wheel. 

But a very important note to make. Philosophy should only
be used as a guide^[20], not a
dogma.

You and only you can learn to think critically and clearly
to find the best course of action for your own life.

7 reasons engineers should learn philosophy

So, that all being said, here are 7 tangible reasons that
engineers should learn, and integrate, philosophy into their
lives. 

1. It will make you a better engineer

By integrating ethics and
philosophy^[21] into your life, it will
make you a better engineer overall. It will provide you with
improved systemic methodology and with better conceptual
clarity. 

Most imporantly it will help you develop your critical thinking
skills.

2. You are already a philosopher

Every waking moment you are a practicing
philosopher^[22] whether you know it or
not. You are constantly making value judgments and other decisions
based on some form of rationale. 

You might even be asking yourself some of the big questions, or
feeling sorry for your lot in life. By integrating some
understanding of philosophy, or the teachings of great thinkers of
the past will improve your outlook on life.

Source: 905513/Pixabay^[23]

It may even allow you to see a way through tough times that you
never knew existed.

3. It will help you understand others’
perspectives

An understanding of
philosophy^[24] will improve your
ability to interact with others. It will ground you in an
intellectual tradition that is larger than yourself. 

This will help you attain an understanding, or at least
appreciation, of others’ perspectives. It will make you a better
listener, and help you better interact with clients, co-workers and
the general public. 

4. Philosophy will help you navigate troubled
waters

Philosophy will give you the necessary skills to make
better value judgments when things in your personal and
professional life don’t go quite to plan. You will be able to
respond better to disorienting times. 

Source: Stock Catalog/Flickr^[25]

It will also help you boost your confidence and become
more self-aware. By understanding that you, and only you, have the
power to change a situation in your life, it will give you the
confidence boost you need to move forward. 

5. It will make you a better communicator

Philosophy will give you the ability to better articulate
your thoughts and values. It will also help you analyze why you
hold something to be true or not. 

Philosophy will challenge you to defend your presuppositions and
force you to better communicate your ideas and thoughts. 

“In other words, to begin to put together your soundest
arguments on what you care about—scientific, moral, political, or
otherwise.” – thoughtcatalog.com^[26]. 

6. Philosophy will help teach you patience

Some philosophical principles can be tricky to get to
grips with. They are not always, black or white, right or
wrong. 

By attempting to study some of the giants of the past,
from Aristotle to Locke, you will begin to get an appreciation for
thinking things through carefully and
thoughtfully.^[27] 

Source: Tumisu/Pixabay^[28]

Such a skill is of great importance to many other aspects
of your life. Professionally it will prevent you from rushing into
things without planning ahead, for example.

But of course, you are already doing this. You are an
engineer after all. 

7. It will make you a happier, stronger and more rounded
individual

Philosophy, at its core, is an attempt to understand the
human condition. You may well be tempted to pass this off as
nonsense, but beware you are a mortal being. 

You will die at some point in the future. Your days are
numbered, the clock is ticking. 

By getting to grips with this it will help you make every day
count. You will gain a
perspective^[29] on what is really
important in life – – friends, family, and meaning. 

This will help you become more grounded and happier in the long
run. You’ll learn to appreciate the best life has to offer and
cherish your short time on this planet all the more.

Who knows, it may even open a door to help you find that passion you’ve been longing to
fin^[30]d! Good luck
traveller!