Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Table
1.2
Kohlberg's
stages
of
moral
development
Preconventional level
1. Punishment-obedience orientation
2. Personal reward orientation
Conventional level
3. “Good boy”-“nice girl” orientation
4. Law and order orientation
Postconventional level
4. Social contract orientation
6. Universal ethical principle orientation
Source: L. Kohlberg, 1981,
The
Philosophy
of
Moral
Development
(Vol.
1)
, Harper & Row, San Francisco, CA.
three and four: in stage three, the consequences that actions have for peers and their feelings about these
actions; in stage four, considering how the wider community will view the actions and be affected by
them. Few people reach the “postconventional” stage, wherein they have an even broader perspective:
Their moral decision making is guided by universal moral principles;
58
that is, by principles that
reasonable people would agree should bind the actions of all people who find themselves in similar
situations.
The moral need to consider the impact one's actions will have on others forms the basis for a
normative model. Pursuing an activity with the goal of obeying the law has as its driving force the
avoidance of punishment, and pursuing an activity with the goal of improving profitability is a goal
clearly in line with stockholders' desires; presumably customers', suppliers', and employees' desires
must also be met at some level. And finally, pursuing an activity with the goal of “doing the right thing,”
behaving in a way that is morally right and just, can be the highest level of engineering behavior. This
normative model of ethical engineering can be illustrated as in Figure 1.5.
There is a striking similarity between Kohlberg's model of moral development (Table 1.2) and
the model engineering professional growth. Avoiding punishment in the moral development model is
similar to the need to avoid problems early in one's career. The preconventional level and early career
experiences have similar driving forces.
At the second level in the moral development model is a concern with peers and community, while
in the professionalism model the engineer must balance the needs of clients and fellow profession-
als with those of society at large. Engineering services and products must be of high quality and
be profitable, but the focus is shifting away from self-centeredness and personal well-being toward
external goals.
Finally at the highest level of moral development a concern with universal moral principles begins
to govern actions. The driving force or motivation is trying to do the right thing on a moral (not legal
or financial) basis. These behaviors set the example for the whole profession, now and in the future.
Professional growth is enhanced when engineers and technical managers base their decisions on
sound business and engineering principles. Ethical content is never an afterthought, but is integrated
within the business and design decision-making process: That is, the engineering exemplars recognize
the broad impact their decisions may have, and they act in a way such that their actions is in the best
interest of not only themselves and the organization they represent, but also the broader society and
even future generations of engineers.
