Ethics in Engineering in the Netherlands

Ethics in Engineering in the Netherlands:
The Role of Professional Associations,
Universities, and Law

 
MICHIEL BRUMSEN
Dept. of Philosophy, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology,
The Netherlands. E-mail: m.brumsen@tbm.tudelft.nl

The paper starts with a sketch of engineering in the Netherlands. The different curricula in
engineering (both `vocational’ and `scientific’) are described, their accreditation, and the membership
and role of professional societies. The regulation of the engineering profession, and the role
played by professional societies, is very different in the Netherlands than in the USA, mainly
because there is no licensing of engineers. The situation in the Netherlands is also compared with
the situation in other countries in Western Europe. The second part of the paper concentrates on
engineering ethics education in the Netherlands. The history of such topics within the engineering
curricula is described. Engineering ethics in the Netherlands is very much a discipline `directed’ by
teaching staff in the Universities; with the occasional exception, the ethical awareness within the
professional societies is not highly developed. This situation may however change, since interest in
ethical issues is being shown by employers’ organisations and trade unions, and awareness within
professional societies appears to be on the rise. The paper closes with some suggestions for topics
for research in ethics and engineering.