ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Engineering ethics

Engineering ethics is a set of rules that engineers follow to make sure they are doing the right thing. Imagine you are building a toy. You want to make it the best toy ever, but you also want to make sure it is safe and won't hurt anyone. That's what engineering ethics is all about – making sure you are doing your job the best way you can, but also being responsible and looking out for people's safety.

Here are some examples of engineering ethics in action:

- If you are building a bridge, you need to make sure it will be strong enough to support all the people who will use it. You also need to make sure it is built in a way that it won't collapse or fall down.
- If you are designing a car, you need to make sure it is safe to drive and won't easily get damaged in a crash. You also need to make sure it doesn't pollute the environment too much.
- If you are writing software, you need to make sure it is free from bugs and won't crash someone's computer or phone. You also need to make sure it doesn't invade people's privacy.

Engineering ethics is important because engineers have a lot of power to shape the world around us. We depend on them to design things that make our lives better, but we also depend on them to make sure those things are safe, reliable, and not harmful to anyone.

So, when engineers are faced with tough decisions, they need to ask themselves: "Is what I'm doing the right thing? Is it safe and responsible? Is it fair to everyone?" If they can answer yes to all those questions, then they are following good engineering ethics.