Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Aristotle and Autism: Reconsidering a Radical Shift to Virtue Ethics in Engineering

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Science and Engineering Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Virtue-based approaches to engineering ethics have recently received considerable attention within the field of engineering education. Proponents of virtue ethics in engineering argue that the approach is practically and pedagogically superior to traditional approaches to engineering ethics, including the study of professional codes of ethics and normative theories of behavior. This paper argues that a virtue-based approach, as interpreted in the current literature, is neither practically or pedagogically effective for a significant subpopulation within engineering: engineers with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Because the main argument for adopting a character-based approach is that it could be more successfully applied to engineering than traditional rule-based or algorithmic ethical approaches, this oversight is problematic for the proponents of the virtue-based view. Furthermore, without addressing these concerns, the wide adoption of a virtue-based approach to engineering ethics has the potential to isolate individuals with ASD and to devalue their contributions to moral practice. In the end, this paper gestures towards a way of incorporating important insights from virtue ethics in engineering that would be more inclusive of those with ASD.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. See Section I of Kant et al. (2002).

  2. Anscombe (1958), Foot (1978) and MacIntyre (2007) are foundational works on the reintroduction of virtue ethics in contemporary philosophy. Virtue ethics has also recently gained appeal in applied ethics, most notably in bioethics (see Walker and Ivanhoe 2007) and environmental ethics (see Sandler 2007; Hursthouse 2007, 2011).

  3. I believe this argument involves a conflation between deontology and consequentialism as normative theories of action and professional codes of conduct that are deontological or consequentialist in nature. I do not have space to pursue this argument at length here. However, I would claim that while relying solely on professional codes of conduct in engineering ethics is potentially problematic in the way these authors suggest, the reliance on deontology or consequentialism as normative theories of behavior is not.

  4. As I will explain shortly, an emphasis on creativity and imagination only poses a prima facie problem for individuals with ASD in engineering. For instance, Martin’s account of creativity could be made accessible to those with ASD when interpreted in the context of Martin’s remarks on character. However, it is precisely because Martin deviates from the standard Aristotelian conception of character and imagination that his account can successfully accommodate individuals with ASD. My point is that because the default within the literature on virtue ethics in engineering is the Aristotelian interpretation of traits such as character and imagination, we have to take extra care to correct any interpretive assumptions.

  5. Most cases of Autism in engineering fall on the higher end of the spectrum; hence it would be more precise to refer to such individuals as having high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HF-ASD) rather than merely ASD. The thesis of this paper concerns individuals with HF-ASD and the studies cited all apply to individuals with HF-ASD. However, for ease of exposition, I will use HF-ASD and ASD interchangeably.

  6. For instance, Driver (2011) specifically addresses the issue of how to accommodate practical deliberation on a consequentialist view. Driver agrees with Railton (2003) about the distinction between a standard of evaluation and a decision procedure. She claims which sort of thought processes actually lead to best consequences is an empirical question. In fact, she points out, the person employing a given decision procedure need not even be aware of what constitutes that correct criterion of moral rightness. Nonetheless, she argues that a commitment to consequentialism can translate into a successful moral decision procedure.

  7. Hay (2013) offers a robust defense of Kant against the claim that the Kantian conception of duty precludes emotion-driven motivations for action. She explains that, certain classes of actions (such as those that are morally permissible rather than required) Kant sees duty as a source of limitation for action, but not necessarily as the primary motivation for action. Hay’s defense draws on Baron (1984), (1985) and (1997) along with Herman (1981) and Hill (1992).

  8. See Betzler (2008) for a collection of essays on Kant’s Ethics of Virtue. See also Jost and Wuerth (2011) for a collection of essays on the connection between Kantian Ethic and Virtue Ethics.

  9. For a thorough discussion about the definition of virtue ethics and the many contemporary varieties of the view, the reader is referred to Chappell (2013) and Swanton (2013).

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • American Society of Civil Engineers. (2006). Code of ethics. Reston, VA: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anscombe, G. E. M. (1958). Modern moral philosophy. Philosophy, 33, 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aristotle. (2009). Nicomachean ethics. (W. D. Ross & L. Brown, Trans.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

  • Athanassoulis, N., & Ross, A. (2010). A virtue ethical account of making decisions about risk. Journal of Risk Research, 13(2), 217–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, M. (1984). The alleged moral repugnance of action from duty. Journal of Philosophy, 81, 197–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, M. (1985). Kantian ethics almost without apology. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron, M. (1997). Kantian ethics and claims of detachment. In R. M. Schott (Ed.), Feminist interpretations of Immanuel Kant (pp. 145–172). University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S. (1989). The autistic child’s theory of mind: A case of specific developmental delay. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30(2), 285–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S., Jolliffe, T., Mortimore, C., & Robertson, M. (1997a). Another advanced test of theory of mind: Evidence from very high functioning adults with autism or asperger syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38(7), 813–822.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S., Leslie, A. M., & Frith, U. (1985). Does the autistic child have a ‘‘theory of mind’’? Cognition, 21(1), 37–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Burtenshaw, A., & Hobson, E. (2007). Mathematical talent is linked to autism. Human Nature, 18(2), 125–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Stott, C., Bolton, P., & Goodyer, I. (1997b). Is there a link between engineering and autism? Autism, 1(1), 101–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Betzler, M. (2008). Kant’s ethics of virtues. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Chappell, T. (2013). Virtue ethics in the twentieth century. In D. C. Russell (Ed.), The Cambridge companion to virtue ethics (pp. 149–171). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dreyfus, H., & Dreyfus, S. (1986). Mind over machine: The power of human intuition and expertise in the era of the computer. New York, NY: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Driver, J. (2011). Consequentialism. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Foot, P. (1978). Virtues and vices and other essays in moral philosophy (Vol. 90). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geurts, H. M., Corbett, B., & Solomon, M. (2009). The paradox of cognitive flexibility in autism. Trends in Cognitive Science, 13(2), 74–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han, H. (2015). Virtue ethics, positive psychology, and a new model of science and engineering ethics education. Science and Engineering Ethics, 21(2), 441–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, C. E. (2008). The good engineer: Giving virtue its due in engineering ethics. Science and Engineering Ethics, 14(2), 153–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hay, C. (2013). Kantianism, liberalism, and feminism: Resisting oppression. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Herman, B. (1981). On the value of action from the motive of duty. Philosophical Review, 90, 359–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, T. (1992). Dignity and practical reason in Kant’s moral theory. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, E. (2004). Executive dysfunction in autism. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 8(1), 26–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hursthouse, R. (2007). Environmental virtue ethics. In R. L. Walker & P. J. Ivanhoe (Eds.), Environmental ethics (pp. 155–172). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hursthouse, R. (2011). Virtue ethics and the treatment of animals. In T. L. Beauchamp & R. G. Frey (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of animal ethics (pp. 119–143). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hursthouse, R. (2013). Virtue ethics. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2013 Ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2013/entries/ethics-virtue/

  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. (2014). Code of conduct. Retrieved from http://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/governance/p7-8.html

  • Jones, A. P., Happe, F. G. H., Gilbert, F., Burnett, S., & Viding, E. (2010). Feeling, caring, knowing: Different types of empathy deficit in boys with psychopathic tendencies and autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(11), 1188–1197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jost, L. J., & Wuerth, J. (2011). Perfecting virtue: New essays on Kantian ethics and virtue ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kant, I., Wood, A. W., & Schneewind, J. B. (2002). Groundwork for the metaphysics of morals. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, S. (1998). When worlds collide: Engineering students encounter social aspects of production. Science and Engineering Ethics, 4, 457–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, T. S. (1962). The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leslie, A. M., & Frith, U. (1987). Metarepresentation and autism: How not to lose one’s marbles. Cognition, 27(3), 291–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacIntyre, A. (2007). After virture: A study in moral theory. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, M. W. (2002). Personal meaning and ethics in engineering. Science and Engineering Ethics, 8(4), 545–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, M. W. (2006). Moral creativity in science and engineering. Science and Engineering Ethics, 12, 241–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, A. S. (2006). A dream not denied: Students on the specturum. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/05/education/edlife/traits.html

  • Morton, O. (2001). Think different? Wired. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/baron-cohen.html

  • National Society of Professional Engineers. (2007). Code of ethics for engineers. Retrieved from http://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics

  • Pritchard, M. S. (2001). Responsible engineering: The importance of character and imagination. Science and Engineering Ethics, 7(3), 391–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Railton, P. (2003). Alienation, consequentialism, and the demands of morality. In N. Badhwar (Ed.), Friendship: A philosophical reader (pp. 211–244). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Reprinted from Philosophy and Public Affairs, 13, (1984) 134–171.

  • Ross, P. E. (2006). When engineers’ genes collide. IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved from http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/ethics/when-engineers-genes-collide

  • Ross, A., & Athanassoulis, N. (2012). Risk and virtue ethics. In S. Roeser, R. Hillerbrand, P. Sandin, & M. Peterson (Eds.), Handbook of risk theory (pp. 833–856). Dordrecht: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Safer, M. (2012). Jake: Math prodigy proud of his autism. CBC News. Retreived from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57358845/jake-math-prodigy-proud-of-his-autism/

  • Sandler, R. (2007). Character and environment: A virtue-oriented approach to environmental ethics. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, J. A. (2014). Changing the paradigm for engineering ethics. Science and Engineering Ethics, 20(4), 985–1010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Senland, A. K., & Higgins-D’Alessandro, A. (2013). Moral reasoning and empathy in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: Implications for moral education. Journal of Moral Education, 42(2), 209–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shulman, C., Guberman, A., Shiling, N., & Bauminger, N. (2012). Moral and social reasoning in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(7), 1364–1376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Solomon, M., Ozonoff, S., Cummings, N., & Carter, C. S. (2008). Cognitive control in autism spectrum disorders. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 26, 239–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stocker, M. (2003). The schizophrenia of modern ethical theories. In R. Crisp & M. Slote (Eds.), Virtue ethics (pp. 66–78). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanton, C. (2013). 14 The definition of virtue ethics. In D. C. Russell (Ed.), The Cambridge companion to virtue ethics (p. 315). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, R. L., & Ivanhoe, P. J. (Eds.). (2007). Working virtue. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wei, X., Yu, J. W., Shattuck, P., McCracken, M., & Blackorby, J. (2012). Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participation among college students with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(7), 1539–1546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitbeck, C. (1996). Ethics as design: Doing justice to moral problems. Hastings Center Report, 26(3), 9–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, B. (1981). Persons, character and morality. In B. Williams (Ed.), Moral luck (pp. 1–19). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts Lowell, 200B Dugan Hall, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA

    Heidi Furey

Authors
  1. Heidi Furey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heidi Furey.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Furey, H. Aristotle and Autism: Reconsidering a Radical Shift to Virtue Ethics in Engineering. Sci Eng Ethics 23, 469–488 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-016-9787-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-016-9787-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation