Engineering ethics at the Catholic University of Lille (France): Research and teaching in a European context

Abstract

The first chapter relates to the development of non-technical education (and ethics within them) in engineering curricula in Europe and in France. Two projects of the Centre de recherche en thique de l'ingnieur (CREI) of the Catholic University of Lille (France) are developed and discussed : the first is an engineering ethics course which has been running for 6 years in an State engineering school, with a strong emphasis on analysing the ethical issues of the students' first work experience. The second is the writing of a European hand-book in engineering ethics which gives us a good insight into how engineering ethics as a discipline is shaped by the cultural background of those who develop it (philosophical dominant tradition, religious background, professional organisation of the engineers and education). Two main approaches seems to be present in Europe today : the first relates to professional ethics as discussed in the USA since the 50', the second relates to a new discipline that is developing in Europe : ethics of technology Rsum :