The Dilemma of Ethics in Engineering Education

This paper briefly summarizes current thinking in engineering ethics education, argues that much of that ethical instruction runs the risk of being only superficially effective, and explores some of the fundamental problems that must be addressed for ethics education to have a meaningful impact on engineering students. These include: intellectual engagement versus emotional engagement; the gravitational pull of curricular structures; the nature of engineering faculty; and the "engineer-ization" of ethics.