Prompt #6

There aren't too many arguments about the importance of engineering as a whole. However, ethical debates can arise in specific engineering subjects.

Weapons engineering and developing government spy technology is among the most widely argued aspects of engineering. There are plenty of supporters looking to invent and improve upon military firearms, bombs, and other types of weaponry. They argue the importance of strengthening our military and police force, stating that better weapons in their hands would make the world a safer place. They also promote the idea of developing drones and specialized satellite technology to monitor other nations. This is to prevent and/or catch obvious terrorist threats and to possibly monitor the internet interactions of terrorist groups, such as ISIS, that recruit people outside the middle east.

On the other hand, some argue that increased weaponry will only lead to more violence. They would not support engineers that look to improve weapons of any sort. Generally, they view war as extremely unethical and that improving guns or military vehicles only encourages the thoughts of war.

There's also argument about the spying of other nations. Many see this as a breach of privacy to other nations. Conducting drone surveillance would have to require the permission of those nations, according to these supporters. There are engineers looking to develop faster, less noisy drones and possibly even ones that are difficult to detect in the air. Opponents of this type of development see that as a major breach of ethics because they believe governments should be aware of the surveillance conducted on their soil.

Plenty of engineers are faced with moral dilemmas such as these. We see arguments that prevent engineers from improving certain kinds of technology every day. There's always arguments that "they're just doing their jobs" and plenty of support and disagreement with so many different subjects. Yet, no matter how they choose to proceed engineers must realize that many of their actions can cause real political and social consequences.
-Danny


El-Zein, Abbas. "As Engineers, We Must Consider the Ethical Implications of Our Work | Abbas El-Zein." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 05 Dec. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2016. <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/05/engineering-moral-effects-technology-impact>.