Engineering Ethics University of Illinois University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign
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Truth and Fairness

Of the four main virtues in ethical thought, Justice is often regarded as the most important. Justice is part of one's will and presents two aspects: truth and fairness. A will acting in truth chooses according to things as they actually are and not to illusions. A will acting with fairness seeks to give what is due to all concerned.

Here we will begin to look at common ethical dilemmas regarding truth and fairness faced by many scientists and engineers in the professional world. The situations outlined here are often quite difficult to break down and analyze so this where virtue ethics comes into play. By understanding the types of situations in which there are no directly obvious correct choice, the amount of time taken to analyze the situation will decrease leading to an increase in correct decision making and productivity.

The principles presented here deal with both the truth and fairness parts of Justice. Obviously, the "Varieties of the truth" principle deals with truth. The "Conflict of interest" and the "Types of intellectual property", however, both deal with the fairness aspect of Justice.