An Inquiry Into Mike W. Martin’s Thoughts Of Engineering Ethics

With philosophy of technology turning to experience and adaptation to the need of engineering practice, the study on engineering ethics has become the important areas in philosophy. All around the world, the result of the research in engineering ethics is the most abundant, and the experience of the research is the most mature in America. In recent years, China as a large engineering country, has made some useful exploration in engineering ethics, and has also made a great achievement. Nevertheless, compared to achieve the goal of strong engineering country, engineering ethics need to be further studied in China. Mike W. Martin is the famous American engineering ethicist and the important leader in the community of engineering ethics.He is knowledgeable.His research experience and rich achievement in engineering ethics is of great significance to the further development of engineering ethics in China. This paper adopts the method of ethical literature reading which is faithful to the text, supplemented by interview method, comparative method and the unity of logic and history method. It systematically combs out and interprets Martin’s thoughts in engineering ethics.In order to expand the theoretical framework of engineering ethics, Martin made the theoretical basis of engineering ethics extended from utilitarianism, deontology, virtue theory to self-interest ethics, especially the self-realization and personal commitment. He creatively put forward the thought-"engineering as a social experiment", and explored the implications of "informed consent" and "shared responsibility". He advocates that "informed consent" should be the principal of engineering ethics. Engineer has the obligation of "informed consent" to the public, however, in face of the risk, engineer, manager, investor and the public should share the responsibility. Martin puts forward the concept of "consensus paradigm" which is the study paradigm of the codes and ethical dilemmas in engineering ethics. He regards that the paradigm can promote public trust, restrict greed and set the rules of fairness in economic competitions, as well as support responsible professional, etc.. The consensus paradigm can restrict the professional life which invades the individual, and limit the misguided personal ideals. It’s also the necessary foundation to integrate different personal morals, and to set up the minimum common understanding between the professional and the public. In Martin’s view, however, the defect of the paradigm is that it not only prevents the distortion caused by the unreasonable personal commitment, but also eliminates the good commitment which some personal ideal pursues, and regards the personal commitment expressed by the professional in the workplace as personal ethics instead of professional ethics. Even more, it doesn’t realize that personal commitment can encourage, guide and maintain the professional. Consequently, Martin introduces the research perspective of personal commitment which highlights the important value of personal commitment in engineering ethics. He takes the improved "social practice" as the conceptual framework to integrate personal commitment with consensus paradigm so as to reconstruct the new paradigm of engineering ethics. Based on the reconstruction of the new paradigm, Martin further explores the ethical complications of moral creativity in engineering, reveals moral paradox, moral luck, moral leadership, as well as the significance of "good life" in engineering creativity.On the basis of the above research, this paper analyzes the characteristics of Martin’s thoughts in engineering ethics, namely, emphasizing analytical philosophy and pragmatism in research methods; valuing theory, not making light of the practice; paying attention to microscopic analysis and not ignoring the macro ethical issues. Thus, it further reveals that Martin’s thoughts in engineering ethics have the important enlightenment for the research of engineering ethics in China. Martin not only opened up the new research fields in engineering ethics, put forward the new ideas, but also widened the research perspectives and methods of engineering ethics in theory; his views on cultivating the students’moral autonomy and his beneficial explorations on the education of engineering ethics, provides rich experiences and achievements for Chinese reference in practice.