Research On The Ethical Responsibility Of Engineering Practice Subject

With the development of human society, engineering practice is becomingincreasingly important. People can survive the nature, but also live directly inengineered environment. Nowadays, the scale of engineering practice is expanding,the investment larger, the influence wider, and the structure more complex.Meanwhile, the uncertainty of development and unpredictable risk of it becomesincreasingly prominent. The issue of ethical responsibility is most critical amongthem. On the base of reviewing and analyzing related theories, this paper analyzes thecases of “Changsui Airport” and “Affordable Housing”incidents in Kunming cityand explores ethical responsibilities of engineering subjects with governments,corporations and engineers as the major focus. Through analyzing characteristics ofmodern society and modern engineering practice, it is found that the violation oftechnical rationality and the limitation of human are the theoretical origin of ethicaldilemma faced by the subject of engineering practice. Via investigating the subject ofengineering practice, this paper scrutinizes the ethical problems of responsibilitydistribution. Has the engineer taken the responsibility in China? Do the government,the corporation and the public also hold responsibility? Who should be responsiblefor the negative influence caused by engineering practice? When real subjects ofresponsibility are found, their ability to shoulder it and how to honor it are furtherdiscussed. In the light of Carl Mitcham’s thoughts on Ethics of technology, this paperproposes the return of public responsibility and the division of responsibility amongsubjects of engineering practice, and thus attempts to put forward a way to implementthe ethical responsibility distribution mechanism based on the PDCA CirculationMode and foster a comprehensive, standardized, systematic and secured chain ofresponsibilities.The issue of ethical responsibility is profoundly philosophical and an inevitablefact in modern Chinese engineering. Therefore, a harmonious engineeringresponsibility communique needs to be established in a deeper and wider domain soas to ensure a just and fair social environment and enrich the traditional realm and concept of responsibility.