Chapter 17 Engineering for Peace: An Obligation of Professional Capabilities

 

Abstract

This chapter discusses reorienting engineering towards promoting peace. It highlights the negative impacts of advanced weaponry and the allure of military technology. The authors propose a philosophical basis for this shift, drawing from Alasdair MacIntyre's view of engineering as a practice and Amartya Sen's ideas on professional responsibilities. They introduce the concept of "sustainable security," which focuses on peacefully resolving the underlying causes of conflict. This concept has been quickly adopted in the UK's security strategy. The chapter suggests ways individual engineers, academic departments, businesses, and professional associations in engineering can actively support and promote real peace.

17.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses the need for engineers to focus on promoting peace rather than contributing to military technology. It starts with a tragic story from November 2010 in Laos, where two sisters were injured, one fatally, by an old cluster munition. The chapter emphasizes how such weapons, developed through sophisticated engineering, continue to harm civilians, particularly children.

The chapter highlights the significant involvement of engineers in military projects, noting that a large portion of engineers in the U.S. work in military-related roles, and the largest employer of engineers in the UK is an arms-producing company. It also points out the ethical detachment often seen in the field regarding the impact of military engineering on civilians.

The main goal of the chapter is to encourage engineers to use their skills for peace. It proposes a philosophical framework based on Alasdair MacIntyre's concept of engineering as a practice and Amartya Sen's idea of professional responsibility. The chapter suggests that engineers, companies, academic departments, and associations should focus more on understanding the root causes of conflict and contributing positively to society, rather than primarily engaging in military developments.

17.2 The Temptations of Military Technology

This section discusses the ethical challenges faced by engineers in military technology, focusing on weapons restricted by international law, like cluster munitions, and the development of new types of warfare.

It points out that while international conventions like the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention have limited certain weapons, major producers like Israel, Russia, and the United States haven't signed some of these, particularly the Convention on Cluster Munitions. This leads to a continuous search for new types of weapons, like drugs targeting neurological functions with potential ethnic selectivity, and drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) for remote warfare.

The section emphasizes ethical concerns regarding the involvement of engineers and medical professionals in weapon development. The British Medical Association strongly opposes using pharmaceutical agents as weapons, highlighting the ethical responsibility of professionals in these fields.

The use of drones, controlled from distant locations like Nevada to operate in places like Afghanistan, raises ethical concerns due to their potential for high civilian casualties and the impersonal nature of remote warfare. The development of autonomous drones further complicates the ethical landscape.

The argument made by arms producers that more sophisticated weaponry reduces civilian casualties is challenged by data showing that modern, distant warfare results in higher rates of civilian deaths, especially among women and children, compared to close-range combat.

In summary, the development of new military technologies like drugs as weapons and drones presents significant ethical challenges for engineers, requiring a reevaluation of the role and responsibilities of professionals in these fields.

17.3 Engineering as a Practice

The overall nature of engineering may be clarified by considering it as a practice , “a coherent and complex form of socially established activity”, of the type first proposed by MacIntyre (1981/1985).

 The UK Royal Academy of Engineering has provided a cogent and challenging basis for a description of what might be considered the practice of engineering : 

"Professional engineers work to enhance the welfare, health and safety of all whilst paying due regard to the environment and the sustainability of resources. They have made personal and professional commitments to enhance the wellbeing of society through the exploitation of knowledge and the management of creative teams."

This section describes engineering as a practice, using Alasdair MacIntyre's framework. It emphasizes engineering's role in enhancing welfare, health, safety, and sustainability, as defined by the UK Royal Academy of Engineering.

Key features of engineering as a practice include:

Internal Goods: These are qualities like technical excellence, the application of scientific knowledge, imagination, reason, judgment, and experience. These goods benefit everyone involved in or affected by engineering.

External Goods: These include economic benefits and technological artifacts. They are typically owned by individuals or groups.

Ends or Goals: Engineering aims to promote community flourishing through contributions to material wellbeing.

Virtues: Necessary virtues in engineering include accuracy, rigor, honesty, integrity, respect for life and law, and responsible leadership.

Institutions: Entities that sustain engineering practices, such as university departments, professional associations, and commercial enterprises.

Systematic Extension: Successful practices continuously develop their internal and external goods, ends, virtues, and institutions.

The section notes two critical aspects of engineering in this context: its focus on the welfare, health, and safety of all, and the importance of not overly prioritizing external goods like technological artifacts over the true end of promoting human flourishing.

It cautions against engineers being overly attracted to arms companies for the sake of developing sophisticated technology. In the broader view of engineering as a practice, the creation of technological artifacts, especially those designed to cause suffering, is contradictory to the ultimate goal of engineering, which should include promoting security and peace. The section suggests that engineering should be reprioritized and extended towards the pursuit of peace.

17.4 The Obligation of Professional Capabilities

This section discusses the ethical responsibilities of engineers, focusing on balancing technical satisfaction with ethical considerations. It emphasizes the need for engineers to innovate ethically, especially in promoting peace and security through non-military means.

Drawing from Amartya Sen's work in "The Idea of Justice," the section introduces the concept of the "obligation of power," which encourages actions that enhance justice in the world. This obligation is about considering practical improvements rather than ideal states, aligning well with engineering's pragmatic nature  (a focus on creating solutions that are feasible and effective in the current context, rather than aiming for a utopian or idealized outcome that might be unattainable).

This obligation could be considered as a generalisation of the “rule of rescue”: the compelling motivation to save endangered human life wherever possible. It should also be noted that this obligation is practical rather than idealistic, for it concerns the serious consideration of feasible options and thus recognises that there may be situational constraints on the action (at least initially).

Engineers, possessing unique knowledge, skills, and technologies, are seen as having an "obligation of professional capabilities." This obligation involves using their professional skills to remove injustices and promote justice, particularly in the context of civilian harm caused by military engineering.

The term "professional capabilities" is adapted from Sen's concept of "capabilities," which refers to what a person can achieve in terms of wellbeing and agency. In engineering, this translates to actions that an engineer can take to address injustices and advance peace. The section suggests that engineers should use their adaptable skills not just to avoid contributing to injustice, but also to actively work towards removing the root causes of violent conflict and promoting genuine peace.

17.5 The Root Causes of Conflict, Approaches to Security and UK Government Strategy

This section explores the root causes of conflict and approaches to security, focusing on the UK's strategy. Independent organizations like the Oxford Research Group identify four main causes of future insecurity and conflict: climate change, competition over resources, marginalization of the majority world, and global militarization. They advocate for a "sustainable security paradigm" that addresses these root causes through civilian means, rather than relying solely on military power.

Despite its modest size and peaceful location, the UK has a significant global military presence, with one of the highest military budgets and a major arms producing company. The UK's security strategy, outlined in a 2008 government document, emphasizes addressing underlying drivers of insecurity rather than just immediate threats, recognizing climate change and competition for resources as major factors.

In 2010, changes in the UK government and financial constraints led to the establishment of a National Security Council and the publication of two key documents: The National Security Strategy and The Strategic Defence and Security Review. The Strategy focuses on ensuring a secure and resilient UK and shaping a stable world, prioritizing threats like international terrorism, cyber attacks, military crises, and natural hazards. It emphasizes tackling root causes of instability and commits to changing outdated defense structures.

However, the Defence Review, while giving attention to wider security issues, still prioritizes military solutions. Significant funding goes to military equipment like aircraft carriers and submarines, despite acknowledging that no major state threat currently exists. There's a commitment to increase Official Development Assistance to support fragile states and address instability drivers, but overall, the Review falls short of fully implementing the Strategy's analysis.

Neither the National Security Strategy nor the Strategic Defence and Security Review explicitly mention engineering. However, they do acknowledge the role of science and technology in national security, providing an opportunity for engineers to contribute to security objectives through civilian means.

17.6 Engineering for Peace

This section discusses the role of engineering in promoting peace and its alignment with a sustainable security paradigm. The Oxford Research Group has advocated for addressing the root causes of conflict through peaceful means, a concept increasingly adopted by the UK government. However, the practical implementation of this strategy is lacking, as the UK government continues to prioritize funding for large-scale military technologies.

Engineers can significantly contribute to resolving conflicts by developing renewable energy, increasing resource efficiency, and creating wealth in impoverished societies. This approach contrasts with the focus on developing sophisticated military technologies, which are seen as external goods in the practice of engineering. Engineers should balance their work with internal goods, ends, virtues, and the systematic extension of their practice, focusing on enhancing welfare, health, and safety.

The chapter argues that engineers have a professional obligation to use their skills to promote justice and remove injustice. This includes refraining from military engineering that causes civilian casualties and contributes to conflict. Engineers should work towards promoting peace characterized by honesty, fairness, openness, and goodwill.

Individual engineers, commercial enterprises, university departments, and professional associations all have roles in this shift. Engineers should make career choices that contribute positively to communities. Universities should integrate societal and technical aspects into engineering education, emphasizing professional capabilities and international law. Professional associations should inform the government and the public about engineering's potential contributions to sustainable security and support international peace initiatives.

The chapter concludes with a call for engineering organizations to advise against using engineering skills for weapon development, similar to the stance of the British Medical Association. The goal is to steer the engineering profession towards promoting genuine peace.