Engineering Ethics

Electrical Engineering Department

UMT

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Ethical Problem Solving Techniques
 Chapter 4 of Book 1

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Line drawing technique
 Useful for situations where applicable moral
principles are clear
 But grey area about which ethical principle
applies

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Line drawing technique
 Draw a line
 Place a positive paradigm (PP) at one end
 PP: an example of something that is clearly
morally acceptable
 Place a negative paradigm (NP) at the other
end
 NP: an example of something that is clearly
NOT morally acceptable
 Place various examples and hypothetical
situations in between
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Line drawing technique
 How to place various examples and
hypothetical situations along the line?
 Examples close to PP are place near it, and
those close to NP are place near that end
 Examine carefully and place the moral
problem under consideration on the line
 Depending on the location of the problem, it
can be determined whether it is near PP or NP,
and hence acceptable or not
 Problems with this approach?

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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Hypothetical example

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