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The Origin and Implications of Engineers' Obligations to the Public Welfare

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2022

Jerry W. Gravander
Jerry W. Gravander*
Affiliation:
Clarkson College of Technology
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Extract

The “Code of Ethics” formulated by the Engineer's Council for Professional Development—and adopted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers— claims that “engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties… . [Moreover,] should the Engineers’ professional judgment be overruled under circumstances where the safety, health, and welfare of the public are endangered, the Engineers shall inform their clients or employers of the possible consequences and notify other proper authority of the situation, as may be appropriate.“ The other major engineering societies endorse “Codes of Ethics” with a similar provision.

Type
Part VIII. Philosophy, Engineering and Society
Information
PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association , Volume 1980 , Issue 2: Volume Two: Symposia and Invited Papers 1980 , 1980 , pp. 443 - 455
Copyright
Copyright © 1981 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

1

This is based on work done in conjunction with my participation in the National Project on Philosophy and Engineering Ethics, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and administered by Robert J. Baum of the Center for the Study of the Human Dimensions of Science and Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

References

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