Comparison of Answers to Sustainability Questions (Ethical Issues in the Design of Ultra-Lightweight Vehicles)
Author(s):
Missy Cummings, Anke von Gorp
Are engineers ethically obligated to consider
sustainability in their designs? Why or why not?
| University of Virginia |
Delft University of Technology |
- If everyone, more specifically engineers, were
obligated to seriously consider sustainability to every
degree, many, if not all things would not be
built.
- Engineers should be ethically obligated to consider
the sustainability in their designs. Engineers should
not simply meet consumer demand, but also consider the
needs of society as a whole... The government should
also offer some monetary incentives for engineering
contractors who incorporate sustainability in
design.
- The consideration of sustainability should not be
burdened on the design engineer. Instead the
consideration of sustainability should be with those
who are responsible for protecting the environment and
its resources... to consider sustainability might limit
the creativeness of the design. Sustainability in
engineering is typically a by-product of the need to be
economical. The only obligation of an engineer is to
consider sustainability as if it was a specification of
the design.
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- According to me it is obvious that engineers should
take sustainability into account in their designs. They
should at the consequences of a design for environment
and society. Especially in designing mass products like
cars it is absolutely necessary that these consequences
are investigated.
- Only to some extent. The first task of engineers is
to design a product of process that meets the set
requirements. If this leaves room for sustainability
considerations, so much the better.
- An engineer can and should contribute to a
sustainable future. Especially in the design phase a
lot of choices regarding sustainability can be made,
therefore an engineer has a special obligation
regarding sustainability.
- Sustainability should not be the most important
design criterion.
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Cite this page:
Missy Cummings, Anke von Gorp
"Comparison of Answers to Sustainability Questions (Ethical Issues in the Design of Ultra-Lightweight Vehicles)"
Online Ethics Center for Engineering
2/16/2006 8:43:25 AM
National Academy of Engineering
Accessed: Tuesday, January 06, 2009
<www.onlineethics.org/CMS/enviro/enviroessays/ULV/CompAnswersLW.aspx>