Why Do Engineers Wear Black Hats?

Abstract

Engineers often consider their foremost responsibility to serve the public good, seeing themselves as the translators of science to technology for the benefit of the public. Yet, engineers often find themselves as the villains in public/private conflicts. The public sees engineers as the despoilers of the environment, the diligent destroyers, the tools of the establishment. This image confuses engineers who believe that they perform the function for which they were educated and for which there is public demand. The present paper suggests that the confusion is the result of differing philosophical outlooks between the engineers and the public at large. The majority of the public believes that standard engineering tools such as cost/benefit analyses are unethical, whereas the engineers believe that these techniques allow for the most fair distribution of benefit and cost. The engineering codes of ethics are a mirror of the engineers' utilitarian nature, and promote this paternalistic nature of engineering. A modification and simplification of the codes of ethics is suggested that would include the public in engineering decision making.