LEARNING MODULE SURIGAO STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

Module No. 1
INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL ETHICS AND ETHICAL VALUES

I. Topic:

Definition of Ethics
Ethical Values
History of Ethics
Importance of Ethics
Application of Ethics to the Profession

II. Time Frame: 3 hours

III. Introduction:

Engineering is an important and learned profession. As members of this profession,

engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering
has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people. Accordingly, the services
provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be
dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare. Engineers must perform
under a standard of professional behavior that requires adherence to the highest principles of
ethical conduct.

IV. Objectives:
At the end of this chapter, the students are expected to:
1. Define ethics and explain its importance;
2. Enumerate and describe ethical values; and
3. Discuss the applications of ethics in the profession.

V. Learning Activities:

DEFINITION OF ETHICS

A code of ethics is a basic set of values and behaviors that are intended to be embraced
by users so they conduct themselves responsibly, in a flawless manner, with honor and
integrity. A code of ethics is typically based on simple concepts that are of value to society as
a whole, promote good behavior, foster trust, and result in respect of one another. A code of
ethics should be easy to understand, and written in general terms so it can be applied to every
situation.

ETHICAL VALUES

Values are the unarticulated beliefs that form the foundation for ethical behavior, i.e.
practices that are viewed by our society as correct behavior. As an Engineer, you should
acknowledge the fundamental importance of the following values both for yourself and your
profession:

CE 124 – CE Laws, Codes, Contracts, Specifications and Ethics 1

 LEARNING MODULE SURIGAO STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

1. Quality of life - people being satisfied with their whole life experience;
2. Health, human potential, empowerment, growth and excellence - people being
healthy, aware of the fullness of their potential, recognizing their power to bring that
potential into being, growing into it, living it, and, generally, doing the best they can
with it, individually and collectively;

3. Freedom and responsibility - people being free and responsible in choosing how
they will live their lives;

4. Justice - people living lives whose results are fair and right for everyone;

5. Dignity, integrity, worth and fundamental rights of individuals, organizations,

communities, societies, and other human systems;

6. All-win attitudes and cooperation - people caring about one another and about
working together to achieve results that work for everyone, individually and
collectively;

7. Authenticity and openness in relationships;

8. Effectiveness, efficiency and alignment - people achieving the maximum of

desired results, at minimum cost, in ways that coordinate their individual energies
and purposes with those of the system-as-a-whole, the subsystems of which they
are parts, and the larger system of which their system is a part;

9. Holistic, systemic view and affected parties orientation - understanding human

behavior from the perspective of whole system(s) that influence and are influenced
by that behavior; recognizing the interests that different people have in the system's
results and valuing those interests fairly and justly;

10. Wide participation in system affairs, confrontation of issues leading to effective

problem solving, and democratic decision making.

HISTORY OF ETHICS

Even when observing the animal kingdom, there are clear signs of rules of behavior.
The young monkey does not mess with the “big daddy” and when lions are feeding off a
freshly killed carcass the hyenas keep a good distance. All of this behavior appears to be
instinctual or intuitive but it serves the very clear purpose of maintaining order within the
animal kingdom.

Human ethical behavior has been observed from the earliest recorded data and
anthropological and archeological studies have indicated that all primitive tribes have very
definite rules of behavior. Christopher Boehm (1982) has hypothesized that the incremental
development of moral complexity throughout hominid evolution was due to the increasing
need to avoid disputes and injuries in moving to open savannah and developing stone
weapons. Human morality, though sophisticated and complex relative to other animals, is
essentially a natural phenomenon that evolved to restrict excessive individualism and foster

CE 124 – CE Laws, Codes, Contracts, Specifications and Ethics 2

 LEARNING MODULE SURIGAO STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

human co-operation. Group morality develops from shared concepts and beliefs and is often
codified to regulate behavior within a culture or community.
Perhaps the existence of mythology arose out of the need to regulate society and this
was much easier to do when the stories were fascinating and the members of the community
could identify with the mythological characters. Out of these myths grew rules of behaviour
and conduct which contributed towards controlled and ordered living.
The word “Ethics” originates from the Greek word “ethos” meaning “character”. Ethics
are a set of rules or principles that are generally considered as standards or good and bad or
right and wrong, which are usually imposed by an external group or a society or a profession
or so. Ethics can be understood as the rules of conduct proposed by a society or recognized
with respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group or culture. Ethics are
dependent on others definition. They may or may not vary from context to context.
Ethical behavior was codified to provide guidelines for fairness and integrity in one’s
endeavors within a societal framework. The highest level a society can reach is one in which
everyone treats one another with respect and does only what is in the best interest of society
as a whole — as an individual decision, without coercion. The societies with the most freedom
and the greatest thinker’s value treating others with respect and doing the “right thing” in all
situations as the highest attainable attribute an individual could achieve.

Aristotle’s view, expressed in his book, the Nicomachean Ethics, was that ethics is a
moral virtue in an individual through training and practice. The codification of ethics has taken
many forms: from the Ten Commandments, to the Doctrine of Socrates, to Nicomachean
Ethics, to the Code of Hammurabi, to the American Constitution, to the Golden Rule, to the
Code of Ethics. Between 1877 and 1914, the Society’s Board of Direction was very
conservative and believed that ethics was a matter of an engineer’s personal responsibility
and honor and not appropriate for a written code. In 1914, however, a special committee of
the Board of Direction was appointed to draft a Code. The original Code contained six
principles but has been amended over time to its current form. Proposed amendments must
be published to the membership and then approved by a two-thirds vote of the Board of
Direction.

IMPORTANCE OF ETHICS

A code of ethics is a document that serves as a reference from moral guidelines. It is

used to inspire members to be ethical in their everyday pursuits. It works to define the moral
aspects of being professional and serves as a checklist of good behavior and desired
attributes. If it is referenced regularly, it will raise consciousness and awareness of the moral
obligations of a professional. It can serve as the basis of discipline for undesirable behavior. It
can also be used as a resource when one is faced with a situation that involves moral
perplexity or uncertainty. It sets a standard for professional behavior bound by the code that
colleagues, the public, clients, and employees can expect.

The Code of Ethics is focused toward three constituencies:

1. The public;
2. The client and employer; and
3. Licensed civil engineers.

CE 124 – CE Laws, Codes, Contracts, Specifications and Ethics 3

 LEARNING MODULE SURIGAO STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

It is important to maintain a balance of responsibilities among the three, not only

because of the realities of the work environment, but to sustain the “learned professional”
status that enables practitioners to function as professional engineers (e.g., make considered
judgments and decisions in the absence of complete information) and over the long term
provide a benefit to the public.

Ethics is important because it forms the foundation of your belief system. It governs
how you treat others; it is the basis of your decision-making process and how you react in
various situations. Because of its societal value, ethics is revered by others and held in high
esteem.

APPLICATION OF ETHICS TO THE PROFESSION

As a civil engineer you have been trained to design and oversee construction of various
improvements to enhance civilization, growth, and society as a whole. In the course of making
the decisions that will be required to plan, design, and oversee construction, you will be faced
with many moral and ethical dilemmas. Many decisions will be made with regard to safety,
public interest, and client interest. Having a code of ethics will help you make those decisions.
As a professional your work is restricted by society such that only those having the training
and proven credentials may perform it, limiting competition to only those individuals who are
licensed. In return, professionals are required to perform their work to high ethical standards
and always in consideration of and to the benefit of the public. Professionals are held to a
higher standard than the general public, and the Code of Ethics provides the guidelines and
standards that the professional engineer must follow to satisfy that commitment.

Ethical behavior is a way of conducting one’s life, not a measure of adherence to a

specified set of arbitrary rules. Because an engineering professional is a professional twenty-
four hours each day, seven days each week, all year long, ethical behavior should be a way
of life, not just applied to a job. A misguided action or comment from an engineering
professional is just as detrimental, whether rendered at work or on vacation. When one
accepts the responsibilities associated with special engineering training and a professional
career, one also accepts the responsibility to conduct life within a framework of norms and
behaviors that won’t diminish the trust that society places in the engineering profession.

The intent of ethical behavior is personal growth and betterment as an individual. The
evaluation of others to determine who can and who cannot be trusted, who has honor and who
does not, or who has integrity and who does not, is acceptable as a method to learn from
others’ behavior. Evaluating these traits can also serve to protect yourself and others from
those who would harm you. It is always better to be a good example and leave the judging to
others.

VI. Self-Evaluation Test:

Answer the following in your own words:

1. How should ethics be used in your profession?
2. Why is ethics important?
3. Enumerate and explain further the ethical values.

CE 124 – CE Laws, Codes, Contracts, Specifications and Ethics 4

 LEARNING MODULE SURIGAO STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

VII. Review of Concepts:

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that aims to answer the basic question, “What
should I do?” It’s a process of reflection in which people’s decisions are shaped by
their values, principles, and purpose rather than unthinking habits, social
conventions, or self-interest.
Our values, principles, and purpose are what give us a sense of what’s good, right,
and meaningful in our lives. They serve as a reference point for all the possible
courses of action we could choose.
An ethical decision is made based on reflection about the things we think are
important and that is consistent with those beliefs.

VIII. References:

Flavell, E. L. (2016). The ASCE Code of Ethics. Retrieved from

http://www.ingenieria-civil.org
The Ethics Center. (2016). The Ethics Center. Retrieved from https://ethics.org.au/

CE 124 – CE Laws, Codes, Contracts, Specifications and Ethics 5