“Global Engineering Ethics”: Re-inventing the Wheel?

Abstract

This chapter defends four propositions: (1) There are already global standards of engineering practice, standards that are (more or less) what is needed; therefore, there is no need to create such standards from scratch. (2) Engineers do not need global registration or licensing. Neither registration nor licensing would increase the “professionalism” of engineers. Professionalism is independent of both registration and licensing. (3) Engineers have and, therefore, do not need, a global code of engineering ethics (though there is room for improvement). (4) Engineers have (and therefore do not need) a global curriculum for engineering ethics. Rather than trying to “re-invent the wheel”, we should be proposing refinements to engineering’s standards of practice, codes of ethics, and curriculum.