Professional knowledge, ethical conduct

In the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) and Engineering Council (UK) (ECUK) joint workshop held in 2008 to discuss ‘Engineering Ethics and Accreditation’, Shannon¹ noted that ‘codes of conduct have been of interest to professional organisations for hundreds of years’, were ‘central to the medicine, law and engineering professions that could be trusted by society’, specified ‘standards of acceptable behaviour between professionals and their clients’, and were ‘predated by examples of guidance such as the Hippocratic Oath’. The engineering profession has accepted and abided by such guidance for hundreds of years, albeit the guidance has more recently been known as codes of conduct, rules, and regulations, rather than ethics. The term ‘ethics’ within engineering is still relatively modern. 

What are ‘Ethics’?

It can be said ethics are common sense; in the engineering arena, many of the ethical principles are simply good engineering. We should not need to tell somebody: This is what you have to do to be a good engineer’, because it is largely common sense, or is it? An engineer’s conduct towards other engineers, employers, clients, and the general public, is an essential part of an engineer’s life. Uff² supports this view; the subject might be called professional ethics ... defining the principles of good professional engineering practice.