Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around identifying historical events characterized by a lack of ethics that resulted in injury or loss of life. Participants are seeking examples relevant to engineering ethics, particularly in relation to the Engineers Australia code of ethics.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Homework-related
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- One participant requests assistance in finding historical events that illustrate a lack of ethics leading to harm.
- Another participant questions whether the events need to be Australian or if they can be relevant to the Australian ethics code.
- A suggestion is made to explore the West Gate Bridge incident, highlighting issues of report suppression related to the inquiry.
- The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster is proposed as an example, with a mention of an engineer's warning about faulty O-rings prior to the launch.
- Asbestos mining is mentioned as a potential topic, with participants considering both the West Gate Bridge and Chernobyl as examples.
- A participant references a historical case involving employee death due to cyanide gas at Film Recovery Systems, suggesting further research on this incident.
- Some participants express uncertainty about which disasters were specifically caused by a lack of ethics versus those resulting from materials and standard practices of the time.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants do not reach a consensus on specific events, with multiple competing views and suggestions remaining throughout the discussion.
Contextual Notes
There are limitations in determining the ethical implications of the suggested events, as participants note the difficulty in distinguishing between ethical failures and issues related to materials or practices of the era.
