Towards a Social Ethics of Engineering: The Norms of Engagement

A case is made for augmenting individual‐based engineering ethics with a social ethics of technology framework. A social ethics approach takes as problematic the mutable social arrangements for decision making in technology. The example of the design group is used. It is suggested that this expanded approach is more relevant to technology decision‐making, which is normally done collectively, than individual ethics alone. Recent changes in the social relations of industry are discussed as evidence that this expanded approach may be well received in the workplace.