CHAPTER 1 and 2: Values, Technology & Society

TERMS: DEFINITION1- Technology "art, skill, cunning of hand"; and

collection of tools, including machinery, modifications, arrangements and procedures used by humans.

2- Engineering discipline that seeks to study and design new technologies.

3- Ethics The philosophical science that deals with the rightness and wrongness of human actions.It is a moral principal or set of moral values hold by an individual or group.

Classification of ethics

1. Normative ethics:Seeks to set norms and standards for conduct or General theories about what one ought to do.

2. Meta-ethics:Systematically studies and investigates the meanings and sources of ethical principles (terms, arguments and judgments).

3. Applied ethics:Application of normative theories to practical moral issues/ problems.

4- Values Core beliefs that guide and motivate attitudes and actions

5- Epistemology the study of knowledge and justified belief. It questions what knowledge is and how it can be acquired, and the extent to which knowledge pertinent to any given subject or entity can be acquired.

6- Society a group of people involved in persistent interpersonal relationship, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.

KNOWLEDGE1. Meaning of knowledge

i. Identification of the knower and the known, or it is an attribute of the knower to know the subject ()

ii. Cognition (Ma‘rifah)iii. Obtaining (al-Idrak- husul, ihatah)iv. Clarification, explanation, assertion, decision

(bayyan, athbata, mayyaza, qaÏaÑa).v. Belief (I ‘tiqad, thiqah, sukun nafs)

vi. Remembrance (tadhakur), imagination, vision, and opinion. Motion of the heart (harakah al Qalb).

2. Allah has remind human being about: 1- his origin, 2 Origin of Knowledge, 3. Tool to seek knowledge, 4. Negative attitude of human being (transgressing) misuse of knowledge.Iqra’ is a command to read the signs of the Creator has put in the creation to enable us to grasp something of His mercy, wisdom, and power. It is a command to learn, through experience and understanding the meaning of His creation.

3. A Selection of Qur'anic Verses which Comment on the Natural WorldA. - On the ongoing process of creation- [16:8] ...and He creates other things beyond your knowledge... - [24:45] ...Allah creates what He wills... B. - On pollution and the wasting of natural resourcesC. - On the dual nature of ironD. - On the origin of life in waterE. - On the diversity of mankindF. - On the Water CycleG. - On Human Embryological and Fetal DevelopmentH. - On Cosmology

4. Sources of knowledge Revelation (Wahy) Al ‘Umran al-Bashari (Human Experience & History) Al- ‘Umran Tabi‘i (Physical World)

5. Purpose of knowledge This principles are:

1. Worship of Allah (Total Submission & obedience).

2. Fulfillment of Shari ‘ah Objectives.

Protection of religion or Faith. Protection of the soul. Protection of the wealth. Protection of the mind. Protection of the offspring.

6. Laws of Scientific Inquirya. Seeking satisfaction (rida) of Allah. b. Seeking the knowledge of the Open book

(Allah’s creation) for the purpose of consideration is a worship.

c. Spread the good & make reform when needed.

d. Avoid causing corruption & spreading mischief (fasad).

e. Avoid acting upon gaining luxuries (Taraf) f. Non-transgression (ta‘adi)g. Non-waste (tabdhir)h. No Injustice (Zulm)

7. Ilm Virtue Pleasure of Allah a. . Monotheism b. Ayyah (Subject) c. Scope: Allah, human, other creatures, seen &

unseen world d. Comprehensive & inclusive e. Revelation Ultimate reference f. Shari‘ah Objectives-bound g. Istikhlafi & Akhirah oriented h. Linear growth (cumulative) i. Equally Multiple valid methods. j. Certainty is possible. k. Total dependence on Allah l. Unity & inter-disciplines relationship

8. Science Power control i. Systematic Knowledge

ii. Subject: physical world (Nature) (Human) iii. Relativism(no absolute truth or validity) iv. Evolutionism (biological concept of evolution),

Materialism. v. Secularism , Positivism (senses are the only

sources) vi. Revolutions & Paradigm shift (a sudden change

in perception) vii. Exclusive

viii. Pragmatic (The end justifies the means) ix. Value-Free x. Limitation

9. Ethical theoriesMoral Theories refer to the compound and diverse techniques that are developed by the ethicists to govern ethical decision making.

10. Major Ethical Theories

Problems with virtue ethicsi. It doesn't give clear guidance on how to act in

specific circumstances. It cannot tell us what the law should be about abortion, euthanasia, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis etc.

ii. 2- It gives no clear answer to questions such as 'Is the environment intrinsically valuable?'.

iii. 3- There is also uncertainty about how you decide on what the virtues are.

iv. 4- Is cultivating the virtues really the best way for an individual to maximize his human potential?

v. 5- People can do the wrong thing for the right reasons (e.g. ignorantly kind).

UtilitarianismPrinciple of social utility measured by the resulting amount of pleasure and happiness. It Argues that the consequences of an action make that action either moral or immoral. An action that leads to beneficial consequences is right or moral; one that leads to harmful consequences is wrong or immoral

Kantian Ethics-Argues that the consequences of an action are irrelevant to a moral evaluation of that action-He concentrates on the nature of the action itself as well as its motive in order to determine whether it is right or wrong-One does it because it is the “right thing to do”

Egoism• Right and wrong are determined by the course

of action that will bring the most personal pleasure and avoid the most pain.

Problem • We all have incompatible interests: how do you

decide which interest to satisfy?

11. Kohlberg’s TheoryHis theory is a stage theory, meaning everyone goes through the stages sequentially without skipping any stage.

12. Action Evaluation: An Islamic PerspectiveSource: Revelation (indisputable and Practical Ethics)

i. The decision is for Allah only. He telleth the truth and He is the Best of Deciders.(An’aam: 57)

ii. The decision rests with Allah only, Who hath commanded you that ye worship none save Him. (Yusuf: 40)

iii. The decision rests with Allah only. In Him do I put my trust, and in Him let all the trusting put their trust. (Yusuf: 67)

The Quran uses a strict and authoritative way to implement its rules and moral values . At the same time it tries to remind us of the great rewards, benefits and

advantages behind good deeds. (Targhib & Tarhib = Invitation and Intimidation).

Different levels:i. Tawhid : The core of Islamic ethics. (to achieve

total freedom) ii. Love of Allah and his religion : will ease our

submission to his rules and the fulfillment of our duties.

iii. The legality of the action. iv. The effect of Intention (good and bad deeds,

The Permissible (Mubah).v. Tawakal (Trust In Allah): To Do our best and

leave the consequences to Allah’s will.

Characteristics of Moral Duties: i. .Comprehensiveness and Inclusiveness: for

instance: justice as a value must applicable to all at all times.

ii. Simple & achievable: No one should be charged beyond his capacity.

iii. Flexibility: Different levels of morality (Maximum and minimum).

iv. Moderation: “Thus We have appointed you a middle nation” Al-Baqarah: 143).

CHAPTER 3 AND 4: Fundamentals of Scientific Inquiry in Islam

1. Factors behind the rise of Islamic sciences i. Religious and Ethical factors

ii. Intellectual factorsiii. Political factorsiv. Social factorsv. Economic factor

2. Scientific Thinking - An Islamic Perspective-involving the observation of phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis concerning the phenomena, experimentation to demonstrate the truth or falseness of the hypothesis, and a conclusion that validates or modifies the hypothesis

3. Thinking styles in the Qur’an

i. Inquisitive thinking style:-Asking questions is one of the most effective tools in teaching and learning since it leads to the development of new connections in the brain’s neural network which, in turn, leads to new ideas and concepts.

ii. Objective thinking style:Objectivity means expressing claims and judgments based on proofs and evidence, based on certainty and not on doubt or conjecture to avoid bias, personal interests, or whims in forming opinions and giving judgments.

iii. Hypothetical thinking style-This style of thinking aims at increasing human intellect by exposing it to Truth.

iv. Rational thinking style- Rational can be literally defined as “having the faculty of reasoning, endowed with the reason, exercising one’s reason in a proper manner, and having sound judgment.

v. Reflective/ Contemplative thinking style The Qur’an draws the attention of mankind to reflect ‐

upon the creation of the universe: the sky, the stars, the sea, the natural phenomena such as day and night, the wind, the rain etc.

4. Types of evidence used in the Qur’ani. Sensory or Substantial

ii. Revelational iii. Historicaliv. Rational

5. Xenophobia to Values - This idea is about the fear of adopting and assimilating foreign values into one's life. Mainly because, they are perplexed and are too afraid to take on new values for they might contradict with inherent or localized values.

Causes of Muslim Xenophobia to Valuesi. Ignorance : is a state of being uninformed (lack of knowledge).

ii. Taqlid: Taqlid literally means "to follow

(someone)", blind imitation of others in their actions or sayings without valid proofs or evidences.

iii. Akhiristic TendencyA factor that caused xenophobia to values is

what I call akhiristic tendency, some engineers think hereafter only and they failed to realize that we are on a bridge and vehicle to hereafter.

iv Distortion of 'Aqidah Muslims developed skeptic attitude and

created terms like bid'ah and fear of it. Bid'ah only applies in religion and not in science and technology.

v. Takfir of ScientistsSome orthodox scholars prevented rational

and scientific development

vi.'Aql and Naql (Reason & Revelation)The conflict between 'aql and naql, and the

relationship between science and

vii. Colonial mentalityMuslims developed colonialism mutuality

lack of confidence and inferiority complex to science and technology.

6. Contributions of Muslim scientists in the fields of science & technology

Al – Haitham- Father of Optics- regulating the nile river by making dam, not

successful, prisoned, learned optic before died.- Kitab al-Manazir (Book of Optics), Camera obscura,

Disapproved the theory of light by Aristotle, and came out with a new theory.

Al-Jazari- engineer

- first engineer to provide complete details for design, manufacture and assembly- before, water clocks. His design technically advanced, very accurate and beautiful.- machines for raising water

- crankshaft , rod

Ibn Ahmad Al-Biruni- One of the Greatest Scientists of all times

Mohammad Bin Musa Al-Khawarizmi-- The very name Algebra has been derived from his famous book Al-Jabr wa-al-Muqabalah - Developed decimal system

Nasir Al-Din Al Tusi Mathematics, Astronomy, Philosophy and Religion- new astronomical tables called Al-Zij-Ilkhani. Which became the most popular tables among astronomers and remained so till the 15th century

CHAPTER 5: Attributes of Engineering Professionalism An Islamic Perspective

1. Professionalism refers to the qualities, competencies and skills of professional.

2. PROFESSION & ITS MEANING IN ISLAMAl-Mihnah: an occupation done with high skills.It includes services offered to others. (Mahin):a fellow worker.

3. CHARACTERISTIC OF A PROFESSION IN THE QUR’AN

i. Two Prophets: Shu‘ayb & Mussa (u)- strong , the trustworthy. ( 26القصص: ).ii. The prophet Yusuf and the Pharaoh-a skilled

custodian [ : 55 يوسف ]

Verses and Hadiths on the topic

i.Strength- Strength: efficiency, accurate implementation, control and discipline

[63خذوا ما آتيناكم بقوة ]البقرة : Hold fast that which We have given you ة ]األنفال : ا استطعتم من قو وأعدوا لهم م60]

Make ready for them all thou canst of (armed) force

ii. Trustworthiness: To fulfill one’s responsibilities towards the job, fellow colleagues, work place and the society. (Moral competency) ال إيمان لمن ال أمانة له He Has Little Faith The One Who Has No Trust,

iii. Care / preservationThe ability to manage oneself, work carefully in a responsible manner. (Managerial competency/ Practical efficiency

iv.. Knowledge- to be fully aware about the nature of one’s job and the skills needed to perform the tasks. (Intellectual Competency)- The strong believer is better and more beloved

to Allah than the weak believer, while there is good in both

Principles of the Islamic professional ethics and include the following:

i. Include the preservation of rights which is one of the core ingredients of ethical principles.

ii. Include knowing one’s duties and performing them in the best of one’s ability.

iii. Justice with oneself and with his fellow human beings.

iv. Cover individual and social behavior.

Islam has four main aspects which include: Doctrine, worship, Law and Ethics

-Itqan and Ihsan share the same basic meaning of "perfection" and "excellence", or to do beautiful things”.

Ihsan, is one of the three dimensions of the Islamic religion Islam, Iman and Ihsan. In contrast to the emphases of Islam (what one should do) and Iman (why one should do), the concept of Ihsan is primarily associated with intention. One who "does what is beautiful" is called a muhsin. Some Muslim scholars explain Ihsan as being the inner dimension of Islam whereas Shariah is often described as the outer dimension

4. CRITERIA OF PROFESSIONALISM AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

- Accountability to Allah-The idea of reward and punishment is an incentive to do what is right and avoid what is wrong. The relevance of this subject therefore to us is that the whole of our life is a test. Allah says in Qur’an 67:2

-Responsibility-

5. The nature of Engineering corruption

i. Lying: Intentionally or at least knowingly convey false or misleading information. (intention to deceive)

ii.Deliberate Deception:implying knowledge that he in fact does not have to impress an employer of potential customer he is certainly engaging in deliberate deception even if he is not lying.

iii.Withholding Information: If an engineer deliberately fails to bring up some of the negative aspects of a project he is promoting to his superior he engages in serious deception even though he is not lying.

iv.Failing to Adequately Promote the Dissemination of Information: This may require to disclose information to avoid a disaster.

v. Failure to seek out of the truth: Honest engineer is one who is committed to finding the truth not simply avoiding dishonesty.

vii.Revealing Confidential or Proprietary Information:

viii.Allowing One’s Judgment to Be Corrupted:

6. Concerning Research & Data

Trimming: “the smoothing of irregularities to make the data look extremely accurate and precise”.

Cooking “retaining only those results that fit the theory and disregarding others”

Forging “inventing some or all the research data that are reported, and even reporting experiments to obtain those date that were never been performed”

7. Confidentiality in Engineeringinformation which the employer would like to have kept secret in order to compete effectively against business rival• Privileged information- covers information

which has not yet become public or widely known within an organization.

• Proprietary information:-new knowledge generated within the organization which can be legally protected from use by others.

8. Conflict of interestsindividual’s outside financial interests could directly and significantly affect the individual’s professional actions or decisions.

9. Types of Intellectual properties i.Patent: It is a legal document defining ownership of a particular area of new technology. An invention must be some product or process that embodies the ideaii.Trade secret: is a confidential piece of intellectual property that provides a company with a competitive advantage. Examples of trade secrets include: formulas, processes, proprietary designs, strategic plans, customer lists, and other collections of information.

10. Copyrighted MaterialCopyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of “original works” and includes such things as literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual creations, both published and unpublished

The owner of a copyright has five principal rights:- The right to reproduce the copyrighted work

- The right to distribute copies of the work to the public

- The right to display copies of the work in public- The right to perform the work in public- The right to produce new works derived from the

copyrighted work

CHAPTER 6: Codes of Ethics & Professional Employee’ Rights1. Scope

i. Integrity.ii. Competence.

iii. Individual Responsibilities.iv. Professional Responsibilities.v. Human Concerns

2. Why is the Code of Ethics importanti. It is a SYMBOLE of Professionalism.

ii. A BASIC qualifying requirement.iii. An EDGE in competition.iv. Ultimate BENEFIT of the profession.

3. Limitationsi. vagueness (Health, Safety, Welfare).

ii. Conflict in various codes. iii. They cannot serve as ultimate or final moral

authority for professional conduct.iv. The proliferation of codes of ethics for different

branches of engineering gives a feeling that ethical codes are relative.

4. Major Professional Engineering Bodies In Malaysiai. The Board of Engineers (BEM

ii. The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEMiii. The Association of Consulting Engineers,

Malaysia (ACEM)

5. Professional Employee’ Rights

INTERNAL RESPONSIBILITIESi- Collegiality : Considered a “professional virtue”- Four central elements: – Respect: for colleagues, clients– Commitment: to overall good– Connectedness: to broader picture– Cooperation: with the team

ii- Loyalty. Agency loyalty (Owed, fulfil contractual duties, Do your job and follow the rules) VS Identification loyalty (More to do with emotions, attitudes, and a sense of belonging).

iii- Respect for authority.- Authority is the right to have control over decision affecting the interests of the employer and the business. - Two kind of authority: 1– Institutional authority: associated with administrative position2– Expert Authority: results from specialized knowledge

iv- Collective bargaining: A- Attack problems not people.B- Build trust.C- Start with discussion and analysis of interests, concerns, needs not solutions.

EXTERNAL RESPONSIBILITIESi- Confidentiality.ii- Reporting.iii- Occupational crimesiv- Conflict of Interests:

CHAPTER 7: Relationship Between Religion & Science

1. Religion & Science: Comparisoni. Both pursue knowledge.

ii. Different methodologies.-Science: reason, empiricism & evidence.-Religion: revelation, faith & sacredness.

iii. Prior to scientific revolution most scientific and technical innovations were achieved by societies organized by religious traditions.

2. Western Standpoint i. Conflict between the disciplines.

ii. Independence of the disciplines.iii. Dialogue between the disciplines where

they overlap.iv. Integration of both into one field.

3. Islamic Standpointi. Science, the study of nature, is considered to be

linked to the concept of Tawhid (the Oneness of God), as are all other branches of knowledge.

ii. In Islam, nature is not seen as a separate entity, but rather as an integral part of Islam's holistic outlook on God, humanity, and the world.

iii. The Islamic view of science and nature is continuous with that of religion and God. This link implies a sacred aspect to the pursuit of scientific knowledge by Muslims, as nature itself is viewed in the Qur'an as a compilation of signs pointing to the Divine.

iv. It was with this understanding that science was studied and understood in Islamic civilizations, specifically during the eighth to sixteenth centuries, prior to the colonization of the Muslim world.

4. Epistemic & Non-Epistemic Valuesi. Epistemic values : An epistemic value is one for

which one has reason to believe that it will, if pursued, help toward the attainment of epistemic goals; all other values are non-epistemic values.

ii. Non-epistemic values: refer essentially to values that are ideological, economical, or political (like feminism, sexism, Marxism, fascism, capitalism, and racism), or ethical, environmental, esthetical, or religious.

5. Role of values in sciencei. selectors among different fields of investigation.

ii. selectors among alternative, empirically equivalent theories or hypotheses (these are often referred to as epistemic values).

iii. "regulative" ideas of science, that is, as indicators of the place and meaning that the scientific enterprise as a whole should have in our culture, in society, and in our life in general.

iv. guides to the application of our scientific knowledge and technology to practical decision making.