Abstract
Common ethical awareness is a key for the establishment of a profession. To examine the professional ethical awareness embodied in the constitutions of Chinese engineering societies, this chapter analyzes the texts of the articles of constitution of 48 national engineering societies in Mainland China up-to-date. In comparison to the model code of ethics of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) and the constitution of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), we find that the universal principles of justice, fairness and concern for human beings are not given full attention and that “do the right thing” is under-emphasized in comparison to “do the thing right” in the ethical awareness of Chinese engineering societies.
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Notes
- 1.
In this paper, an engineering public organization – a society, federation, or association – is called an engineering society.
- 2.
This paper does not comprehensively study the constitutions of engineering societies and the system of registered engineers in Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.
- 3.
China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) is a non-governmental organization of Chinese scientific and technological workers, funded by public finance. “Through its member societies – nearly 200 in number and local branches all over the country, the organization maintains close ties with millions of Chinese scientists, engineers and other people working in the fields of science and technology” (http://english.cast.org.cn). In fact, CAST, managed by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, is a quasi-governmental organization with some administrative responsibilities for scientific and technological societies in Mainland China.
- 4.
In this study of 48 engineering societies, the China Computer Federation (CCF) is the only society dedicated to formulating an ethical code for engineers. The code of ethics includes five more specific criteria, namely, respecting intellectual property rights, respecting facts, evaluating work objectively, keeping impartiality in peer review, forbidding duplicate publication, and so on. As its title “China Computer Federation academic ethical code” shows, the code of ethics of the CCF is also a scientific moral code, rather than the ethical code of engineering profession.
- 5.
For example, the Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society clearly requires adherence to the “harmony between man and nature” (2004); the China Mechanical Engineering Society put “people-oriented, seeking social welfare” as the purpose (2006). However, even in these societies’ constitutions, the ethical responsibility for public well-being and the environment is still in a subordinate position.
- 6.
Even engineering disasters arousing public attention have not urged the leaders of those engineering societies to upgrade ethical standards for engineering professional behavior. We cannot find any changes in the purpose of the China National Coal Association about safety and health of mineworkers after so many mine disasters; while foodstuff safety and public health are not mentioned in the purpose of China Cereals and Oils Association; environment protection is not mentioned in the purpose of China Paper Making Association; energy conservation is not mentioned in The Architectural Society of China, etc.
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Acknowledgments
The authors appreciate Prof. Philip J. Chmielewski and Prof. Bocong Li for their helpful suggestions on this research. We are also grateful to Miss Liying Wu of National Central University in Taiwan and Miss Xuefen Jiang of Chinese Institute of Engineers in Taiwan. Miss Wu and Miss Jiang have kindly helped in finding historical documents about CIE in Taiwan.
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Appendix: Directory of 48 Engineering Societies Under the China Association for Science and Technology
Appendix: Directory of 48 Engineering Societies Under the China Association for Science and Technology
Name of societies | The time of societies establishment | The time of the constitutions stipulated or reviseda |
|---|---|---|
China Civil Engineering Society | 1912 | 2002 |
Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China | 1922 | 2007 |
China Textile Engineering Society | 1930 | 2005 |
Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society | 1931 | 2004, 2009 |
Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering | 1934 | 1989,2009 |
Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society | 1936 | 2006 |
The Chinese Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers | 1943 | 2006 |
The Architectural Society of China | 1953 | 2005 |
The Chinese Society for Metals | 1956 | 2006 |
Chinese Society for Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography | 1959 | 2009 |
The Chinese Ceramic Society | 1959 | 2004 |
International Measurement Confederation | 1961 | 2009 |
Chinese Association of Automation | 1961 | 2008 |
The Chinese Institute of Electronics | 1962 | 2006 |
China Computer Federation | 1962 | 2004, 2008 |
Chinese Society for Agricultural Machinery | 1963 | 2006 |
Society of Automotive Engineers of China | 1963 | 2006 |
China Ordnance Society | 1964 | 1964, 1978, 1988, 1993, 1997, 2003 |
China Technical Association of the Paper Industry | 1964 | 2008 |
Chinese Association of Refrigeration | 1977 | 2004 |
China Association for Standardization | 1978 | 1979, 2004 |
China Highway and Transportation Society | 1978 | 2004 |
China Railway Society | 1978 | 2002, 2008 |
China Engineering Graphics Society | 1979 | 2009 |
Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering | 1979 | 2004 |
China Institute of Communications | 1979 | 2000, 2007 |
China Instrument and Control Society | 1979 | 1991, 2003, 2008 |
Chinese Society of Astronautics | 1979 | 2004 |
Chinese Vacuum Society | 1979 | 1999, 2009 |
Chinese Society for Corrosion and Protection | 1979 | 2006 |
Chinese Nuclear Society | 1980 | 2008 |
Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology | 1980 | 2001 |
China Electro-technical Society | 1981 | 2004, 2010 |
China Energy Research Society | 1981 | 2002, 2009 |
China Occupational Safety and Health Association | 1983 | 1983, 1988, 1993, 2002, 2008 |
China Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers | 1984 | 2005 |
China Tobacco Society | 1985 | 2009 |
Chinese Society of Particuology | 1986 | 1986, 1996, 2002, 2006 |
China Illuminating Engineering Society | 1987 | 2007 |
Chinese Society of Biotechnology | 1993 | 2001 |
China Water Engineering Association | 2005 | 2005 |
The Chinese Society of Rare Earths | 1979 | 2004 |
China Coal Society | 1962 | 2007 |
Chinese Cereals and Oils Association | 1988 | 2004 |
The Nonferrous Metals Society of China | 1984 | 2005 |
Chinese Society of Inertial Technology | 1987 | 2006 |
Chinese Society For Vibration Engineering | 1985 | 2007 |
Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence | 1981 | 2005 |
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Nanyan, C., Junbin, S., Mingyan, H. (2013). Ethical Awareness in Chinese Professional Engineering Societies: Textual Research on Constitutions of Chinese Engineering Organizations. In: Michelfelder, D., McCarthy, N., Goldberg, D. (eds) Philosophy and Engineering: Reflections on Practice, Principles and Process. Philosophy of Engineering and Technology, vol 15. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7762-0_16
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