Kantian Ethics And Engineering Ethics Quiz

Immanuel Kant believed that moral laws are...

• Descriptions of how great people behave in moral situations

• "Imperatives" because they are commanded by God, even though God gives individuals free will

• "Imperatives" originating in the structure of reason that an individual can disobey

• Derivable from the moral intuitions of ordinary people

Johnny is two years old and will die from an incurable kidney disease if he does not receive a donated liver, but there is no genetically appropriate donor available. Therefore, the parents decide, with the help of new reproductive technologies and pre-implantation genetic selection, to "create" a sibling that can serve as an organ donor (and still survive with one healthy kidney). A Kantian analysis of this case would lead to the following result.

• The plan of the parents is morally right since it will lead to the maximum happiness of the whole family

• The plan of the parents is morally wrong if it involves using the new sibling as a mere means to an end

• The plan of the parents is morally right provided that the law allows the new sibling to donate a kidney

• The plan of the parents is morally wrong because most siblings would not consent to donating a kidney

Which of the following is the best description of the difference between utilitarianism and consequentialism?

• Consequentialists seek to maximize equality, whereas utilitarians seek to maximize the sum total of happiness

• Consequentialism and utilitarianism are two different names of the same ethical theory

• Consequentialism is a family of ethical theories that evaluate our actions solely according to their consequences. Utilitarianism is one of several examples of consequentialist theories

• None of the above

Kantian ethics (understood as respect for persons) and utilitarianism can explain most of common morality, i.e., the system by which most people determine right from wrong, but they each have certain defects that keep them from giving complete accounts of common morality. Which of the following is one of these defects?

• Kantianism cannot account for the aspirational aspect of common morality, which advocates promoting well-being and the benefit of others

• Utilitarianism cannot account for the importance that happiness and well-being plays in common morality, because of it's focus on consequences

• Kantianism cannot account for the importance of equal treatment in common morality, because of its emphasis on duty

• None of the above

What kind of organizational culture did investigations of NASA after the Columbia disaster discover?

• No such investigations were made because of political concerns

• NASA had an established program through which engineers and other employees could register dissent to policies with which they disagree

• The culture was one in which the organization could be considered at least part of the "cause" of the accident

• It was one in which a "culture of dissent" was firmly established

Which of the following best explains the difference between uncertainty and risk?

• A risk is an unwanted event that occurs with a known probability, whereas an uncertain event occurs with a probability that is unknown or undefined

• There is no difference between risk and uncertainty

• A risk is an unwanted event that occurs with a probability of at least 1%; an uncertain event occurs with a probability of less than 1%

• An uncertain event occurs with a known probability, whereas a risk occurs with a probability that is unknown or undefined.

"Normalization of deviance" means...

• We become so accustomed to deviant behavior in a technological system that we decide to implement new rules that makes this behavior normal

• We become so accustomed to deviant behavior in a technological system that we no longer consider it deviant, despite the fact that we have exceeded the applicable safety rules

• We become so accustomed to deviant behavior in a technological system that we no longer consider it as deviant, and therefore revise the applicable safety rules to reflect the new practice

• None of the above

Qin is an engineer who works for SmallTime Industries. Earlier in his career, he had co-founded Old Army Industries, which became the world's largest producer of electro-widgets, but he no longer has ties with any workers and has long since sold his financial interests in the company. Qin has recently taken on a new responsibility at SmallTime that may require him to buy electro-widgets. Which of the following best describes Qin's situation?

• He is in a potential conflict of interest situation

• He is an actual conflict of interest situation

• He is in an apparent conflict of interest situation

• He is in a kinetic conflict of interest situation

The Texas Engineering Practices Act states that "If engineers' judgement is overruled under circumstances that endanger life or property, they shall notify their employer or client and such other authority as may be appropriate." Which of the following best describes the instruction in the italicized clause?

• Preventive and supererogatory

• Preventive and obligatory

• Prohibitive and permissible

• Prohibitive and obligatory

Terry, an engineer for a company that does oil and gas exploration and production, is asked to make a recommendation on where to drill a well that will be located in an area in which his family owns a considerable amount of land. What should Terry do?

• Use his best professional judgment because doing so allows him to escape the conflict of interest situation

• Notify his family of the possibility and ask them if he should choose their property

• "Blow the whistle" and let state regulators know about his ethical predicament

• Notify his manager about this situation and offer to leave this task to other employees

Which of the following is the best characterization of a proper engineering decision?

• A decision that may affect the health, safety or well-being of others

• A decision that may only be taken by licensed engineers

• A decision that may affect the health, safety or well-being of others, or involves technical matters that require engineering expertise

• A decision for which engineers can be held responsible according to the NSPE code even if the actual decision was taken by the engineer's manager

Could an engineer in Roger Boisjoly's shoes use the line-drawing technique to determine if he should whistleblow?

• Yes, because this determination primarily depends on resolving a conceptual issue

• Yes, because this determination primarily depends on resolving a moral issue

• No, because this determination primarily depends on resolving a factual issue

• No, because this determination primarily depends on resolving an application issue

How do (contemporary) Kantians reason about risk?

• When imposing a risk on others, we are not permitted to treat people as a means to an end

• When imposing a risk on others, we are not permitted to violate the hypothetical imperative

• When imposing a risk on others, we are not permitted to withhold any information to them

• When imposing a risk on others, we are not permitted to treat people in a way that they would not consent to, or that rational people could not consent to

Suppose it is unknown that the probability of a single accident caused by a piece of equipment in a given year is .0001 and that the consequence of such an accident is -10000 units of utility. If that single accident does not occur, then the outcome is 10 positive units of utility. What is the expected utility outcome for a given year?

• About -10000 units of utility

• About 0 units of utility

• About 9 units of utility

• About 10 units of utility

Roger Boisjoly's actions the night before the catastrophic Challenger launch are normally considered...

• External whistleblowing, because he used a toll-free phone line set up for government contractors to report improper actions by government employees

• Anonymous whistleblowing, because he expressed his concerns to management through an unsigned, typed letter to avoid confrontation

• Insubordination, because he directly contacted NASA personnel over his manager's objections

• None of the above

"Moral claims are made at a communal level and are only valid in that setting." This is an example of:

• Cultural nihilism

• Ethical subjectivism

• Cultural relativism

• Cultural realism

"In many situations it is impossible to know which alternative act would bring about the best consequences, because it is impossible to know for sure what the consequences of an act will be before it is performed."

• This objection shows that all versions of utilitarianism are false

• The best response utilitarians can give to this objection is to question the assumption that we are always able to know in advance whether an act is right or wrong

• Since some utilitarians evaluate acts according to their expected consequences and the expected consequences are often easier to determine in advance than the actual ones, the objection is not as forceful for all utilitarians

• Both (b) and (c)

How would an act utilitarian assess the morality of an engineer who accepts a bribe from a subcontractor?

• By asking whether an individual engineer's utility would be maximized if he or she accepted the bribe

• By asking whether utility would be maximized if engineers generally accepted bribes

• By asking what the total consequences of that act would be for everyone concerned

• By asking whether a rational and impartial person would conclude that utility is maximized for himself if engineers in general accepted bribes

Which of the following is the best definition of eudaimonia (happiness) as it is used in Aristotle's ethics?

• The ability to work against one's inclinations, which are the only condition that allows acts to be called "virtuous"

• Maximizing the pleasure and minimizing the pain that will likely result from a particular action

• Fulfilling one's potential, which results from the cultivation of one's virtues

• A central term in virtue ethics, which is equivalent to what utilitarians mean by "happiness" or "pleasure."

"The Ford F-150 is a large truck" is...

• A factual claim

• A conceptual claim

• An application issue

• A moral issue

"The paramountcy clause states that engineers shall hold paramount the health, safety and welfare of the public." The question of what is meant by the term "welfare" in this statement is...

• A factual issue

• A conceptual issue

• An application issue

• A moral issue

In the line-drawing technique...

• The features selected should describe the negative paradigm and not the positive paradigm

• The features selected should describe the test case as closely as possible

• The features selected should help to determine whether the test case resembles the positive or negative paradigm more closely

• The features selected should be irrelevant to the paradigms

In the 1930's, engineers working for GE developed the sealed beam headlight working on their own time, which prevented many accidents caused by night driving. This is an example of...

• Preventive ethics

• Hedonistic ethics

• Aspirational ethics

• Prohibitive ethics

What is the best description of moral nihilism?

• Moral judgments such as "That is wrong" are just expressions of one's own moral views and have no binding force on others

• Moral judgments such as "That is wrong" are just expressions of moral views within a culture and have no binding force on people in other cultures

• Statements such as "That is wrong" do not have any moral content - because moral content does not exist - and are just a way of getting people to do what we want them to do

• Moral judgments such as "That is wrong" are derived from a moral theory and have no validity or meaning for people who do not accept that theory

The precautionary principle can be interpreted as (a/an)...

• Normative principle saying that is is better to get a false negative than a false positive when assessing a risk

• Normative principle saying that it is better to get a false positive than a false negative when assessing a risk

• Epistemic principle saying that it is better to get a false positive than a false negative when assessing a risk

• Epistemic principle saying that it is better to get a false negative than a false positive when assessing a risk

Anthropocentrism could be considered an egalitarian position in environmental ethics

• True

• False

Although restricted, biocentrism is largely compatible with anthropocentrism.

• True

• False

What is the principle difference between the weak and strong anthropocentric world views?

• Strong anthropocentrism is applicable to more situations than weak anthropocentrism

• Weak anthropocentrism cannot account for why human beings deserve priority

• Strong anthropocentrism considers some human desires to be illegitimate bases for actions that harm non-humans

• Weak anthropocentrism does not view the natural world as merely a standing reserve

The question of which beings deserve moral consideration is of minimal significance to environmental ethics

• True

• False

One principle concern of environmental ethics is the effect of our actions on future generations

• True

• False

Which of the following is true of environmental ethics?

• It is sub-category of hedonistic act utilitarianism

• Some argue it is a necessary foundation for all ethics

• It contradicts most established ethical theories

• It is in some ways a product of advances in ecology

• None of the above

"Normalizing deviance" is a good example of the moral impediment of 

Dr. Harris's father's failure to consider the environmental impact of his engineering work is an example of...

• Microscopic vision

• Normalizing deviance

• Self-interest

• Moral apathy

Which of the following is a possible antidote to 'microscopic vision'?

• Good technical insight

• A fresh set of eyes

• A strong sense of duty

• A robust moral imagination

The fact that 'groupthink' can influence self-deception is an example of the inter-relatedness of impediments to moral responsibility.

• True

• False

Which of the following is true of many who choose self-interest over professional responsibility?

• They often hold a weak conception of professionalism

• They have a good reason for their failure to act ethically

• They always have a long record of moral irresponsibility

• They are never aware of professional codes of conduct

'Groupthink' was one of the impediments that affected the decision-makers involved in the Columbia disaster.

• True

• False

Although an overall majority of "teachers" involved in Milgrim's experiment were willing to administer painful shocks to the "learners," gender, social class, and nationality appeared to play a significant role in what types of people demonstrated this willingness.

• True

• False

A potential solution to impediments to moral responsibility such as uncritical acceptance of authority is to foster a culture of responsible assent.

• True

• False

Which of the following are symptoms of 'groupthink'? Select all that apply.

• Maintaining a sense of vulnerability

• Holding an illusion of morality regarding group actions

• Welcoming the perspectives of outsiders

• Self-censoring contrary opinions

• Construing silence as consent

In what way was Robert Lund's behavior leading up to the loss of Challenger similar to that of the "teachers" in Milgrim's experiment?

• They were overly deferential to authority

• They were not thinking like managers

• They should not bear full responsibility for the harm they caused

• They knew what they were doing was wrong at the time

In regard to an engineer's responsibility to protect the public welfare, which of the following statements are accurate?

• The NSPE code of ethics is perhaps more emphatic than the TBPE rules in describing this responsibility as "paramount"

• The TBPE rules do not mention public health, only public safety

• The NSPE code does not address the engineer's responsibility to the profession

• The TBPE rules address the engineer's responsibility to the environment by introducing the terminology of 'sustainable development'

• All of the above are true

The rules outlined in the TEPA should be considered:

• A code of ethics for voluntary adoption by all engineers in the state

• General guidelines for every engineer's behavior

• A code of ethics for voluntary adoption by all engineers licensed by TBPE

• A law binding on all engineers licensed by TBPE

• A law binding on all engineers practicing in the state

What prompted the Texas state legislature to pass the Texas Engineering Practices Act?

• A building collapse in San Antonio that was the result of the use of deficient materials

• An explosion at a school that was caused by a gas leak killing nearly 300

• A drilling rig explosion that occurred off the coast of Texas and threatened the lives of members of the public

• A methane explosion that occurred in a coal mine and killed 169 workers

The purpose behind the NSPE defining an engineer's responsibility to the profession is probably...

• To ensure that engineers continue to be well compensated

• To ensure that the public impression of the engineering profession remains positive

• To strengthen the networking of engineers in professional societies

• To help unlicensed persons practice engineering

• None of the above

Which of the following are among the TEPA rules on professional conduct and ethics?

• Engineers shall be objective and truthful

• Engineers shall not perform any engineering function that is likely to endanger the public

• Engineers shall practice only in areas of their competance

• A and B, but not C

• A, B, and C

Which of the following is an example of conflict of interest according to the definition in the TBPE rules?

• When an engineer has two clients with similar requirements

• When an engineer accepts an assignment outside the engineer's are of competence

• When an engineer accepts an assignment in which the decisions he or she will make for the client can also financially impact that engineer

• When an engineer is paid by two clients for the same work

• None of the above

An unlicensed engineer who works for a licensed engineer can perform which of the following tasks under the supervision of that licensed engineer?

• Design of engineered products or projects

• Supervision of construction of engineered public works projects

• Responsible charge of teams of unlicensed engineers working on engineering projects

• A and C

• None of the above