Code of Silence : Ethics of Disasters

by Cook, Robert Lynn

• ISBN13: 9780972098441
• ISBN10: 0972098445
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-11-01
• Publisher: Trojan Pub Co

Summary

We want to believe that our skyscrapers, bridges, airplanes, and ships are fail-safe. But, the history of man-made disasters from the Titanic to the World Trade Center suggest otherwise. A "code of silence" among technologists hides their "dirty little family secrets" from the public. You should know the risks and why "history repeats itself." This is one book you will need to understand the dangers we face. Read it and demand change. Your future might well depend upon it.

Table of Contents

Preface	x
List of Illustrations and Photographs	xvi
Part 1: The Reality of Man-Made Disasters
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly	2	(28)
Things We Want to Forget	2	(3)
The World Trade Center Disaster	5	(5)
The Possibility of the Good	10	(6)
The Reality of the Bad	16	(1)
The Ugly Truth: Code of Silence	17	(2)
The Spectrum of Evil	19	(3)
The Ultimate Evil: Industrialized Murder	22	(5)
History's Judgment of Technologists	27	(1)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	28	(2)
The Well-Traveled Road to Disasters	30	(33)
Everyday Moral Dilemmas	30	(3)
Moral Dilemmas in College	33	(2)
Moral Dilemmas in the Workplace	35	(5)
Innovative Designs---Human Experiments	40	(1)
Dangerous Workplaces	41	(3)
Significant Disasters of the 20th Century	44	(12)
Galloping Gerdie: A Prelude	56	(4)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	60	(3)
The Hyatt Regency Hotel Disaster	63	(17)
Two Defining Disasters	63	(2)
The Terrible Night	65	(3)
The Rescuers' Nightmares	68	(4)
Technical Reasons for the Failure	72	(3)
Gross Negligence by Engineers	75	(3)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	78	(2)
The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster	80	(12)
A Cold Morning	80	(1)
Origins of the Disaster	81	(3)
No Informed Consent	84	(1)
Lessons Learned from the Disaster	85	(2)
Neglect of Basic Principles	87	(3)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	90	(2)
Part 2: The Origins of the Code of Silence
True Beliefs and Dangerous Myths	92	(28)
True Believers in Our Midst	92	(3)
The Technical Imperative	95	(2)
Emotional Detachment	97	(3)
Obedience and Compliance	100	(7)
Planned Accidents	107	(4)
Fail-Safe Computer Designs	111	(3)
The Myth: ``You Can't Teach Ethics''	114	(4)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	118	(2)
Common Characteristics and Practices	120	(22)
Technologists as a Distinct Group	120	(1)
Common Backgrounds and Goals	121	(4)
Business as Usual	125	(4)
Accepted Industry Practices	129	(3)
Team Players	132	(2)
Personal and Professional Responsibility	134	(5)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	139	(3)
Industrial---Military---University Complex	142	(21)
The Money Connection	142	(1)
Cost-Benefit Analysis	143	(3)
Bidding Lowest-Cost Projects	146	(4)
Doctrines of Academe	150	(2)
Inner Sanctums of the University	152	(5)
The Business of Higher Education	157	(3)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	160	(3)
Dirty Little Secrets in Universities	163	(19)
Dysfunctional University ``Families''	163	(2)
The Rat Syndrome	165	(2)
Poison in the University	167	(2)
Mobbing in the Workplace	169	(2)
Tunnel Vision in Academe	171	(3)
Emphasis on Specialization	174	(4)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	178	(4)
Part 3: The Search for Workplace Ethics
The Great Ideas of Humankind	182	(12)
Truth or Consequences	182	(2)
Informed Consent	184	(4)
The Truth in Great Ideas	188	(2)
Repression of the Truth	190	(3)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	193	(1)
The Instinct to Be Moral	194	(24)
Why Be Moral?	194	(6)
Genuine Evil and Interrelatedness	200	(4)
The Process of Moral Development	204	(3)
The Quest for Truth about Our ``Self''	207	(4)
Professional Success and Personal Failure	211	(4)
The Connection with Ethics	215	(1)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	216	(2)
The Journey Toward Ethics	218	(14)
The Meaning of Ethics	218	(2)
Right and Wrong Actions	220	(5)
Codes of Ethics for Professionals	225	(4)
Checklists for Ethical Conduct	229	(2)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	231	(1)
The Process Toward Ethical Decisions	232	(33)
Joe's Moral Dilemma	232	(2)
Fail-Safe Ethics Checklist for Joe	234	(13)
After Joe's Decision: What Next?	247	(2)
Applied Ethics: Hyatt and Challenger	249	(5)
A Vision for the 21st Century	254	(4)
Hope: Possibility of a Fail-Safe Institute	258	(1)
Final Reflections on Truth	259	(4)
Bibliography, Notes & Further Reading	263	(2)
Appendix A: Significant Disasters	265	(6)
Appendix B: Characteristics of Technologists	271	(6)
Appendix C: Codes of Ethics	277	(6)
Index	283